Criminal cases such as those related to child trafficking have the potential to occur again if they are not handled properly. A legal breakthrough is needed so that there is a deterrent effect for the perpetrators.
By
Kompas Team
·4 minutes read
ARSIP KOMPAS
EH (22) when met in Tangerang Regency, Banten, Saturday (7/1/2023). EH is a child trafficking survivor who was taken to Malaysia, Dubai, Turkey, Sudan, Syria and Iraq.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Many people involved in exploitation of children for commercial sexual services and in sending children to work abroad have not been arrested due to the poor handling of the cases. As a result, similar cases continue to recur, even at the same location.
In Jakarta, such cases can be seen, among others, in an apartment in Cempaka Putih district, Central Jakarta, an apartment in Pancoran, South Jakarta, and the Rawa Bebek area in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.
Regarding the trafficking of children in an apartment in the Central Jakarta area, the chairperson of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), Ai Maryati Solihah, said the commission were handling three children who were victims of sexual exploitation, which was revealed by the police in early January. She said such a case could be categorized as the practice of slavery.
"When she was menstruating, she was given medicine to stop it and she had to continue serving the clients," Ai said in Jakarta on Tuesday (24/1/2023).
The children are part of the six victims of sexual exploitation revealed by the Central Jakarta Metro Police. The perpetrator lured the victims with a job offer at the hotel via social media.
Such sexual exploitation often occurs in an apartment. On 13 Jan., 2021, the police revealed that 12 children were trafficked for online prostitution at one location.
In an apartment in South Jakarta, the police in December 2021 arrested RB for exploiting a 13-year-old elementary school student. In January 2020, at the apartment, the police uncovered child prostitution, which was run by a person who was underage.
The other alleged perpetrators have not been arrested. In fact, they are still free to open their pubs.
In Ai's opinion, the handling of child prostitution cases is often incomplete. She referred to examples of cases of exploitation of 17 children from West Java in a number of pubs in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, which were revealed in June 2021.
One out of three nightclub owners involved in the child prostitution case has been prosecuted, while the other two, namely the owner of the Bintang and Sasari pubs, have not been arrested. “The other alleged perpetrators have not been arrested. In fact, they are still free to open their pubs,” said Sister Fransiska Immaculata SSpS from the Volunteer Team for Humanity-Flores (TRUK-F) and the Human Rights Network (HAM), in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) (Kompas.id, 31/3/2022).
KOMPAS/SATRIO PANGARSO WISANGGENI
AM (18) brings oranges picked by his relative (right) in a village in South Central Timor, NTT, on Friday (12/7/2019). AM admitted that he was forced into prostitution in Malaysia when he was 17 years old.
After tracing the court’s decision on case number 7/Pid.Sus/2022/PN Mme, it was found that the perpetrator with the initial R is still in the appeal process. He received a three-year prison sentence and a fine of Rp 200 million (US$12,973).
Apart from the owner of the nightclubs in Sikka, Ai also highlighted that no perpetrators from West Java had been arrested. “Our question is, who bought the tickets for the children? Who facilitated them to get to [to NTT]?” he said.
Regarding the trafficking of 17 children in Sikka, head of criminal investigations of the NTT Police, Sr. Comr. Patar Silalahi, said the investigation into the case, which allegedly also involved the owners of Pub Libra and Pub 999, was hampered because the victims had not been found. "It is suspected that they have left the NTT area," said Patar.
The prosecutor's instructions stated that there was a need for information from the victims. Based on Kompas reports, the NTT Police at that time handed over 17 children to the Santa Monica TRUK-F shelter in Sikka. However, on June 27, 2021, four of the children disappeared.
As for efforts to trace the victim's place of origin, the NTT Police have not contacted the West Java Police. They must confirm the whereabouts of the victims.
There is also an incomplete handling of the case related to the sending of children as migrant workers. A woman from Tangerang, Banten, with the initials EH (22), was sold by her neighbors in June 2018. At that time she was 17 years old.
If the evidence is sufficient to meet the elements of a crime, of course they will be investigated and we will make sure it will continue.
EH was sent to work in Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Sudan, Syria and Iraq for six months. In Syria and Iraq, EH experienced sexual harassment and physical abuse.
The broker who brought EH to an overseas agency, Erlangga, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. However, a number of perpetrators have not been arrested and have not been declared as suspects.
Separately, head of the public information bureau in the public relations division of the National Police, Brig. Gen. (Pol) Ahmad Ramadhan, denied that the police had not handled cases of child trafficking thoroughly. "If the evidence is sufficient to meet the elements of a crime, of course they will be investigated and we will make sure it will continue," he said, Tuesday (7/3).
Regarding the recurring cases of child trafficking, Ramadhan mentioned the importance of prioritizing prevention. The National Police are also involved in pre-emptive actions through its community development role. (DIV/JOG/FRD/FRN/VAN/ILO)
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
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