A/HRC/4/24/Add.3 page 5 community numbers approximately 1.4 million people (many of whom are undocumented), followed by migration to Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and other destinations in the Middle East and Asia.4 6. Domestic workers from Indonesia constitute the fastest-growing group of migrant workers. But it is not only the steep rise in numbers that is dramatic; it is also the reversal of gender. During the 1970s male migrant workers outnumbered females by 3 to 1. Increased rural poverty occasioned by economic crises and the devastation of the agricultural sector in Indonesia pushed women and girls into the domestic labour market. By the early 1990s, amongst legal migrants, almost twice as many women were placed overseas as men. Currently, 70 per cent of documented Indonesian migrant workers are women.5 Due to limited employment opportunities in Indonesia, many Indonesian women and girls with families to support have no other choice than to migrate for domestic work, typically very far from their homes and at great personal and economic cost. In some cases they are young girls using false travel documents. 7. Domestic workers may find responsible employers who treat them well, pay them regularly and ensure appropriate working conditions - these workers fuel the widespread perception in Indonesia of lucrative and exciting jobs abroad. Unfortunately, finding decent work is often a matter of luck and is not guaranteed, and those who are not so fortunate may risk becoming trapped in highly exploitative situations with few exit options. 8. According to official estimates there are at least 60,000 Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Singapore, 250,000 in Malaysia and 600,000 in Saudi Arabia.6 However, many women and girls migrate outside legal channels. Incidents of abuse are widespread, but estimating their prevalence is difficult given the lack of reporting mechanisms and restrictions on the freedom of movement of domestic workers. Nevertheless, Indonesian embassies and consulates in receiving countries report thousands of such complaints per year. III. VISITS TO BATAM AND ENTIKONG 9. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur observed first hand the situation in border areas on the island of Batam, the area of Tanjung Pinang in Riau Island Province and Entikong in West Kalimantan Province. The Special Rapporteur had the opportunity to meet and interview female migrant workers who had returned to Indonesia. Most reported that they had escaped and/or been deported after instances of severe abuse at the hands of employers and employment agencies in the receiving countries. These abuses include confiscation of passports and/or personal belongings, as well as threats, physical abuse and corporal punishment. The Special Rapporteur was provided with privately filmed footage of whippings inflicted by employment agents in receiving countries. 4 See www.bu.edu/econ/ied/dp/papers/dp120.pdf. 5 Cf. workspace.fse-esf.org/mem/Act2130/doc185. 6 See www.ibiblio.org/obl/reg.burma/archives/199801/msg00260.html.