RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is cracking down on the illegal deployment of migrant workers and human trafficking. This involves strengthening official placement channels, enhancing the skills of prospective migrant workers, and taking action against non-procedural placement practices.

Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers, Mukhtarudin, said that one of the measures being implemented is the SMK (Vocational High School) Go Global program. SMK Go Global is a collaborative government program involving the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment and the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI/BP2MI).

This program focuses on enhancing the capabilities of young talent and facilitating their employment abroad through legal and safe mechanisms. Participants receive free language training and technical training, and skills certification, all funded by the state budget (APBN).

"It is hoped that with this government program, the public will no longer need to resort to unofficial channels. With God's will, this initiative will reduce the number of non-procedural migrant worker deployments," said Minister Mukhtarudin in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

The government is improving the quality of prospective migrant workers and strengthening access to financing through the People's Business Credit (KUR) scheme. This facility offers migrant workers a loan ceiling of up to IDR 100 million, a three-year tenure, and an interest rate of 6 percent.

Workers can use these funds to cover training costs or prepare for their departure to the destination country. This year, the KP2MI aims to disburse IDR 393.5 billion in KUR funds to migrant workers. "We hope that the public will no longer use non-procedural channels because the pathways, mechanisms, and financing options are already in place," he stated.

The government is also cracking down on illegal placement practices. They have increased cyber patrols to identify and remove misleading or unauthorized information about overseas job vacancies.

The KP2MI continues to crack down on agencies engaging in non-procedural labor placement, imposing sanctions on Indonesian Migrant Worker Placement Companies (P3MI) that violate placement regulations.

Minister Mukhtarudin says that a combination of preventive measures is expected to curb the deployment of illegal migrant workers while simultaneously restricting the operational scope of human traffickers. These measures include providing official channels and enhancing worker competence and enforcement actions, including supervision and legal prosecution.

"We're working to reduce the number of non-procedural Indonesian migrant worker deployments, and to combat human trafficking," he said.