JAKARTA - Indonesian domestic workers are being recruited through false pretenses and trafficked to Libya, even as a government moratorium on sending domestic workers to Middle East countries, including Libya, remains in effect. 

The Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection (KP2MI) warned of the scheme on Monday, March 9, after its embassy in Tripoli reported a continued flow of illegal arrivals. Director General of Protection Rinardi said recruiters tell workers they will be placed in the UAE or Turkey, then reroute them once they are already in transit. 

“Based on reports from KBRI Tripoli, non-procedural departures of Indonesian migrant workers to Libya are still occurring, despite the government's moratorium on domestic worker placements to the Middle East,” he said in Jakarta. 

Workers are flown from Dubai or Istanbul onward to Tripoli or Benghazi, often without a clear understanding of the working conditions waiting for them. Once there, many end up in disputes with employers and turn to the embassy for help, and getting home is its own ordeal. 

Rinardi said workers face a stack of administrative hurdles including passport and residency documents, a foreign resident tax penalty of around 75 Libyan dinars per month, and an exit permit fee of around 555 dinars. Workers who quit before completing two years can also be forced to pay their employer between USD 5,000 and USD 7,000 in compensation. 

“When all cost components are added up, total repatriation costs can exceed Rp100 million per person, including fines, compensation, and airfare. The process can take months,” he said.

Rinardi urged any Indonesian transiting Dubai or Istanbul who is told to board a connecting flight to Libya to refuse immediately and contact the nearest Indonesian consulate for assistance. 

Libya has been divided between rival administrations in Tripoli and Benghazi for over a decade. The country’s elections have been postponed indefinitely since 2021 and the recurring armed conflict leaves workers with no reliable legal recourse or protection once they are in the country.