Gresik Regent's attempts to save PMI children from a generation without identity

Jakarta – The Gresik Regency Government (Pemkab) has officially signed a memorandum of understanding (sleeve) with the embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Malaysia. This agreement is a concrete step for the Gresik Regency government to ensure legitimate protection and fulfillment of the rights of children of Indonesian migrant workers of Gresik, especially with regard to identity and access to education. Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani emphasized that the core of this sleeve is to ensure that the children of migrant workers have clear legal identities. Browse to continue with the content “Our children must be facilitated about their origin. If one of their parents is a gravel resident, they have the right to complete identity,” Yani emphasized in a written statement Wednesday (15/10/2025). “Without documents, they will become stateless, unable to go to school and not even get health insurance. Although education is the most important way to improve well -being,” he continued. The signing of the sleeve between Yani and the Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Hermono was held on Tuesday (14/10) at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur. According to Yani, children without identity will not be able to receive education, from early childhood education (Paud) to higher education, so that their dreams can be stopped. “We want to ensure that no child loses their future just because of administrative status. Their parents are foreign exchange heroes, so it is our responsibility to pay full attention to these children,” Yani said. Yani added that this sleeve is also the efforts of the Gresik Regency government to provide public policies and services that protect the children from migrant workers. “Thank God, this sleeve can be implemented. Hopefully it will be the beginning of goodness, not only for the people of greskin, but also expanded to the provincial and national level,” Yani said. Furthermore, Yani emphasized that the protection of the children of migrant workers is not only a matter of population administration, but also a long-term strategy for the development of human resources. With a valid identity, children can receive adequate education and health services, as well as the opportunity to realize their dreams. “We make sure that not a single gravel child of civilization is left behind just because of identity issues,” Yani explained. Yani also said that this initiative was born from the awareness that local governments could not make a blind eye to the problem of globalization of the workforce. Many Gresik residents are migrant workers, and the local government has a moral obligation as well as a constitutional mandate to be present to protect the basic rights of its citizens. Meanwhile, the Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Hermono welcomes the steps taken by the Gressik Regency government, which he called a major breakthrough of the regional government. According to Hermono, initiatives such as this should be an example for other regions because many children of migrant workers in Malaysia did not have access to education. Hermono revealed that the conditions for the children of migrant workers in Malaysia are quite diverse. In the East Malaysia region (Sabah and Sarawak), collaboration with the government was established to enable the presence of teachers and educational facilities. Meanwhile, more support from the community comes through leather studios in the Peninsula Malaysia. “Initially there were only three studios, now they have grown to 78 leather studios with over 2600 students. This is all the result of community -winning cooperation, the CSR participation and participation of universities,” Hermono explained. Hermono emphasized that the key to the protection of migrant workers lies in the regional government, as instructed by the Number 18 of 2017 Act. Therefore, the steps of the Gressik Regency government are said to be a model to be expanded. “What the Regent of Gresik is doing is pioneering. We do not want a generation to be marginalized just because they are the children of migrant workers,” Hermono said. “This sleeve must be an example, so that more regional heads are care and committed,” he concluded. (HNU/EGA)