'How are we going to escape?': Indonesian working holiday-makers say they were 'scammed'
'How are we going to escape?': Indonesian working holiday-makers say they were 'scammed'
Working holiday visas in Australia are plugged on social media as an easy money grab while travelling, but behind the glitz and glamour are some horror stories.
These stories always make me so sad because the mistreatment of people on working holiday visas has been a widespread problem for such a long time and yet there is seemingly little desire for a solution.
10_The couple said they had not made a complaint to the authorities.
"We didn't want to get involved in things that are complicated, because we are afraid the problem will become more complex," said Dimas._
if they did they might make things a little bit better for people coming after them. I hope they change their minds.
6Yeah I agree. It's tough, but the people responsible for this need to be held accountable. But the only way that can ever happen is if victims report the crime.
Part of it may be, as another comment mentioned, that reporters often are not believed or taken seriously by police and immigration authorities, and in some cases can even end up penalised. A hard institutional change to make, and I don't have a lot of faith it can be done (police being what they are and overwhelmingly standing up for those with power at the expense of those without). But even worse, even if the change was made here, communicating to victims that they will be safe reporting to authorities in Australia (especially if they might be used to authorities being likely corrupt and unhelpful where they're from). One thing that might help is if we had a guaranteed amnesty from any honest mistakes in the working holidayer's visa status if they contact immigration to allege wrongdoing (with the amnesty holding even if their complaint is not upheld).
I also hope Indonesian authorities crack down hard on any Indonesian residents doing false marketing on behalf of these predatory businesses.
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That accommodation looks like fucking luxury compared to what I lived in for a year working in the Australian outback.
My experience is if you are on a working holiday visa then everyone is going to try and screw you over in some way, shape or form for their own benefit.
4So shouldn't we attempt to stop it. Why rip off young people who just want to experience what life is like in the lucky country.
8Absolutely. My point was more that there are a lot worse things going on than what the article picks up on for sure and they should be stopped.
My experience left me wondering who I'd even tell about the issues I experienced and more to the point who would even care. Most of my experience with the "officials" involved in working holidays, visas, border control etc aren't just unhelpful but a lot foster some kind of disdain for people who are on a working holiday, it must be even harder for people whose first language isnt English like me.
I worked with an Indonesian guy who was kept working with the promise of the owner of the place I worked at that he was filling out the paperwork needed and sorting it for him. The owner constantly carried on this deception for as long as he could to keep the guy working. After I'd left I found out about a month later the guy had gotten so sick of being lied to he decided he was going to leave and make his own way elsewhere. The owners response was to report the Indonesian guy to relevant "authorities" and he ultimately got deported because, surprise surprise, his paperwork hadn't been completed properly.
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