Suwedo (45), Headman of Pekaja village in Kalibangor, Banyumas, was speechless when Suswoyo, activist from “Seruni” which concern to migrant workers and woman, ask him about condition of migrant worker in his village. At his office, he express his disappointment on how husbands of migrant workers in his village behaves. He opine that the husbands are being untrustworthy. They spend on unfavorable things while their wife make every effort to make some penny abroad.

“Well, it is not all of husbands doing so, but negative behavior of the rest make a bad impression to many peoples”, Suwedo frustates.

Suwedo elucidate that the husbands often gather in one place. They feel like being on the same boat (read: left by their wife who work in foreign lands). Their make some fun in the gathering, moving to one place of a husband to another. Sometime, they altogether have some vacation in a prostitution. Suwendo also said that money which transferred by their wife wasted and spent for fun of themselves, also to fund their bad habit, treat each other some alcohol. 

Warsun (32), a husband who left by her wife to earn a living in Malaysia, also concur on what Suwedo have said.

“This is just to entertain ourselves. Because living far away from our wife is stressful”, said a guy whose wife being a cover story of a book titled “Jalan Pulang yang Panjang” (“The Long Road Home”) by Sim Chi Yin, journalist at The Straits Time.

Warsun, who work as a stonemason, also enjoy for being on the “community”. He often feels something is “missing”, if he doesn’t have at least one shot of alcohol. For Warsun, alcohol can heal his loneliness for being left by her wife. As a village headman, Suwedo believes that this circumstance is a great concern which requires an urgent solution.

“We hope that there will be institution or any parties which will concern into this situation and willing to provide counseling to the husbands, so that they will be able to avoid such kind of bad behavior”, said Suwendo. 

A deep concerns also express by Narsidah Sanwi, activist from Seruni. “This is couldn’t be more disappointing. The wives are in search for a living to enhance their quality of life while in the other side they need to be apart of their family (husband). The husbands should have a deep contemplation and support his wife. This means, while the wives earn for the family, the husbands shall have their own mentoring”, Narsidah conclude.

This kind of phenomenon is not only happening in Pekaja village. Nasirin, a religious leader in Gumelar sub-district, Banyumas, calls on any parties, whether from governmental bodies also private institution to raise their concern and took action on counseling migrant worker’s families. A guy, who had traveled to Hong Kong as invited by migrant workers society, also shocked to know that many guy in his village used to visit prostitution. This is the reason why he urges and calls for the special treatment on such phenomenon. (SusWoyo)