The state's absence in protecting Indonesian migrant workers: An analysis of migrant worker exploitation and violence

Abitha Arya Guna (Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta 55281)
Dwi Astuti (Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Widya Mataram, Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta 55281)

Journal Gender Equality Disability Social Inclusion and Children
Vol. 4 No. 1: (July) 2026

Background: Illegal Indonesian Migrant Workers (IMWs) continue to face persistent exploitation and violence despite their pursuit of better livelihoods abroad. This issue remains critically underexamined at the local village level, particularly in regions with high undocumented migration flows. Methods: This qualitative ethnographic study was conducted in Bujak Village, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, through 50 days of fieldwork (24 June–13 August 2025). Data were collected using participant observation and in-depth interviews with three undocumented migrant workers selected via purposive sampling. The study employs a human security framework to analyze the structural and cultural drivers of irregular migration. Findings: The findings reveal that poverty, low educational attainment, and patriarchal cultural expectations collectively push residents toward undocumented migration facilitated by broker networks (Tekong). Once abroad, these migrants experience severe exploitation, including unpaid wages, physical violence, unsafe sea transport, and the complete absence of health or death insurance. Critically, the study finds that village-level government neither monitors nor intervenes in these departures, leaving migrants unprotected under Law No. 18 of 2017. Conclusion: The absence of state presence at the local level converts individual economic decisions into structural, systemic vulnerability. This study argues for stronger preventive and protective roles for both village and central governments to address the root causes and consequences of irregular migration. Novelty/Originality of this article: This research offers a novel contribution to the labor migration literature by shifting the analytical lens from national border control to the local village level, empirically demonstrating how state neglect at the grassroots perpetuates migrant vulnerability. It provides rare ethnographic insight into the lived experiences of undocumented migrants from a high-sending village, highlighting the critical yet overlooked role of village government in both facilitating and protecting irregular migration flows.