Kuala Lumpur. The Indonesian government is strengthening protection for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) overseas by extending its focus beyond employment to their families, particularly children who are affected when their parents work far from home.

Minister of Migrant Worker Protection Mukhtarudin made the statement during a joint initiative between the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection and the Ministry of Law in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026.

During the event, the government provided educational assistance to 25 children of Indonesian migrant workers studying at several community learning centers, known as Sanggar Bimbingan, across Malaysia.

Each child received RM500, bringing the total assistance to RM12,500.

Mukhtarudin said the assistance was a concrete demonstration of the government’s commitment to ensuring that children of Indonesian migrant workers continue to have access to education and equal opportunities to build their futures, despite growing up and studying outside Indonesia.

“The state is present and cares to ensure that no Indonesian child is left behind because of their circumstances,” Mukhtarudin said.

He said education was a key foundation for reducing social vulnerability and improving the quality of life of migrant workers’ families.

“Children of migrant workers must receive support so they can continue their education and develop their potential,” he said.

Mukhtarudin said the government understood that Indonesians who choose to work overseas are often motivated by the hope of providing better lives for their families, including their children.

“Behind every Indonesian migrant worker working far from their family is the hope that their children will receive a good education and a better life,” he said.

The government, he added, did not want educational challenges or uncertainty over the future of migrant workers’ children to become burdens that families have to face alone.

“When we protect the future of Indonesian migrant workers’ children, we are actually protecting the future of Indonesia itself,” Mukhtarudin said.

Protection From Start to Finish
Mukhtarudin said protection for Indonesian migrant workers must take a broader approach that covers their families and other aspects of their lives.

Protection should not stop at the departure process or at addressing problems workers face while employed overseas. It should also cover family welfare, children’s education, population administration, citizenship status and legal certainty.

“Protection must be comprehensive, from start to finish, including legal, administrative and family matters, as well as issues affecting migrant workers’ children,” he said.

The Kuala Lumpur event also highlighted the importance of coordination among government institutions in protecting Indonesian citizens and migrant workers overseas.

Alongside the education assistance, Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas handed over documents confirming Indonesian citizenship status to Indonesian citizens in Malaysia.

The confirmation of citizenship status is important in providing legal and administrative certainty to Indonesians living overseas.

For children of Indonesian migrant workers, clear citizenship and identity documentation can also affect their access to education, public services and legal protection.

The collaboration demonstrates that migrant worker protection is not only a labor issue. It is also closely connected to education, population administration, citizenship, legal protection and family welfare.

Mukhtarudin said the government would continue strengthening this approach so that migrant worker protection also provides direct benefits to the families left behind.

“Children of Indonesian migrant workers are part of the nation’s future that we must protect together,” he said.

The success of migrant worker protection, he added, should not be measured only by how safely workers leave Indonesia, work overseas and return home.

“It should also be measured by how far the state can ensure that the families left behind continue to enjoy their rights and opportunities to live decent lives,” Mukhtarudin said.

Ensuring Citizenship Status
Supratman said confirming citizenship status was another form of government protection, providing legal certainty to Indonesians living overseas.

He said the right to citizenship is a constitutional right guaranteed under Article 28D paragraph 4 of the 1945 Constitution.

The government has issued Law and Human Rights Minister Regulation No. 6 of 2025, which sets out procedures for confirming the Indonesian citizenship status of Indonesians living outside the country.

Under the regulation, applications are examined and verified to ensure the accuracy of administrative decisions concerning citizenship status.

Supratman said 2,341 citizenship status confirmations had been issued for Indonesians overseas to date.

Of these, 2,237, or about 95.56%, were issued in Malaysia. The figures included 1,705 through the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, 371 through the Indonesian Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu and 161 through the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru.

“These figures show that documentation and citizenship status issues affecting Indonesians overseas have very specific characteristics and require stronger coordination among ministries and government institutions,” Supratman said.

The Ministry of Law, he added, would continue working with Indonesian diplomatic missions overseas to assist citizens who need to confirm their citizenship status.

For Indonesians in Malaysia who have received confirmation of their citizenship and obtained immigration travel documents, the government expects them to proceed with the necessary permits through the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection.

This would allow Indonesian citizens overseas, including workers, students and children, to fulfill their obligations while also enjoying their rights as Indonesian citizens.

Identity and Education
Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Raden Dato Mohammad Iman Hascarya Kusumo said the event brought together two forms of government protection that complement each other: educational support for children of migrant workers and certainty over the citizenship status of Indonesians in Malaysia.

Both efforts share the same goal, he said: ensuring that the government remains present and protects the rights of Indonesians living overseas.

“Protection for migrant workers must be comprehensive, including their families, children, education, identity, documentation and the social and legal issues affecting their lives,” Iman said.

The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, he added, would continue strengthening services and protection for Indonesian citizens, including migrant workers and their families, in coordination with relevant ministries and government agencies.

The embassy would also continue assisting with documentation, citizenship, education and social issues faced by Indonesians in Malaysia.

Iman encouraged the children of Indonesian migrant workers not to limit their dreams because of where they were born or raised.

“You may live and grow up far from your homeland, but you remain part of Indonesia’s future,” he said.

Identity provides certainty about who a person is, while education provides the opportunity to shape their future, he added.

“The state is present, the state cares, and the state protects,” Iman said.

The event was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection and the Ministry of Law, as well as representatives of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Teachers from the Indonesian School of Kuala Lumpur, Sanggar Bimbingan tutors, parents and guardians, and students from the Indonesian School of Kuala Lumpur and Sanggar Bimbingan also attended.

The government reiterated that protecting Indonesians overseas goes beyond ensuring proper documentation. It also means safeguarding access to education and the future of migrant workers’ families.

Through cross-ministry cooperation and the work of Indonesian diplomatic missions, the government aims to ensure that every Indonesian citizen overseas retains their identity, receives protection and has the opportunity to build a better future, even while living far from home.

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