Girls Trafficked and Prostituted
Child trafficking occurs in Indonesia in various forms. A Kompas daily investigation reveals the stories of these prostituted girls.
RA (16) child victim who was trafficked via social media in Jakarta, on (25/2/2023)
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – From early January to February 2023, the Kompas daily investigation team examined the whereabouts of teenage girls who were trafficked and forced into commercial sex work in Jakarta and various regions. Some girls are trafficked through online prostitution schemes, others through “plus” spa services and brothels under the guise of cafes.
Social media
A Twitter account, @justmommy_eve was found selling two 16-year-old girls. The girls’ photos were posted without any censorship and were captioned “Ready exc Jakarta. Junior high school. Petite tocil [small-chested] girl.” Although the account has been suspended by Twitter, the pimp, CA, created a new account to offer them again.
Apart from Twitter, CA also offers these girls in an online forum. One girl being trafficked, RA, is still in the eighth grade. Rates are informed upon further contact via Whatsapp.
RA is offered at a rate of Rp 800,000 per hour. CA tells customers that RA can only work from the afternoon until 9 p.m. to accommodate her schooling. RA must be picked up and taken to the meeting location, specifically in the Central Jakarta area.
When we met RA, the 16-year-old girl confessed that she was forced into the online prostitution business due to her family’s financial needs. “If I don’t do this, how will I eat? I can’t ask my mother for money, especially when she hasn’t sold much food,” RA said in February.
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RA’s mother and father divorced when she was still in elementary school. Her mother has had to work hard to sell food for a living. RA, her mother and siblings live in a row house in a densely populated area in Central Jakarta. Their house used to be a rice warung (stall).
RA has been trapped in the world of online prostitution since she was 13 years old, then in the sixth grade. At the time, she was lured by tens of millions of rupiah to sell her virginity. Financial difficulties prompted RA to accept the offer and she was paid Rp 15 million for that first instance.
After selling her virginity, RA receives offers to serve men for an unspecified duration. She takes up these offers once a week. No one in the family knows about her work aside from her younger sibling.
RA has been trapped in the world of online prostitution since she was 13 years old, then in the sixth grade.
When we met CA (24), she confessed that she only trafficked RA and one other girl on social media last month. CA found RA and several other children through acquaintances of her cousins who often trafficked children for the prostitution business.
CA used to be a commercial sex worker but now focuses on selling other women, including girls. From what is earned, CA divides the proceeds in half with the children who are trafficked. “From acquaintances of my cousins, I found them through word of mouth. They brought junior high school students,” said CA.
UNA (16), a victim of child trafficking, becomes a therapist at one of the plus-plus massage parlors in Jakarta. Photo taken on February 25, 2023.
In debt
Another victim of child trafficking and prostitution is UNA (16). This eleventh grader works at a spa in Jakarta that provides massage and sexual services. UNA had been caught in this “plus” spa to pay off the debt of her late mother who died two years ago. Her mother’s debt was for medical expenses.
Initially, UNA was looking for a job that did not require a high school diploma. She then found job vacancies on a website that listed therapist jobs for women that did not require an ID card or a high school diploma. The listing included a contact number for further information.
The contact number belongs to a therapist recruitment agency. When UNA met with the agent, the agent lured her in by saying she would earn an income of Rp 500,000 to Rp 1 million per day. UNA also received Rp 5 million on the spot, which was said to be used to buy clothes and cosmetic equipment. Later, that money became a debt.
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Everything related to UNA’s work at the spa had to be discussed through the agent and not directly to the management. After two months of working, UNA said she wanted to quit but was detained by her agent who claimed that she owed Rp 5 million, of which Rp 1.5 million had just been paid. Additionally, UNA’s birth certificate was withheld. “But I already had the money to pay off the remaining debt of Rp 3.5 million,” she said.
When Kompas met UNA, she kept crying because she felt she could no longer work at this “plus” spa. She stuttered when she spoke, fingers fumbling one another. She looked desperate. “I even took sleeping pills once, hoping I wouldn’t wake up the next day. Then I wouldn’t have to work at that place anymore,” UNA said.
Meanwhile, the team also found a girl, TA (16), who became a victim of child trafficking in the commercial sex trade in Depok, West Java, by her friends through an online application. TA and her friends work in a boarding house that also contains jockeys and other sex workers.
TA is usually offered through an online application by jockeys with an initial price of Rp 800,000, though it is negotiable. According to TA, she receives an average income of Rp 750,000. At the end of November 2022, Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro) officers who disguised themselves as customers, arrested TA and her jockey in Depok.
TA, a victim of child trafficking, is attending salon training at a safe house in Jakarta on Thursday (12/1/2023).
Easily deceived
Bagong Suyanto, a sociology lecturer at Airlangga University, Surabaya, said financial motives always underlie any form of child trafficking, including prostitution. Perpetrators turn child trafficking into a shortcut for profit. “Why are the victims children? Because children are more easily deceived,” said the academic, who also authored the book Anak Perempuan yang Dilacurkan: Korban Eksploitasi di Industri Seksual Komersial Tersebut (Prostituted Girls: Victims of Exploitation in the Commercial Sex Industry).
Children roped into prostitution can be caused by various factors, such as financial pressure and lack of attention from parents. They bear the same risks as adult sex workers. In fact, they are more susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as HIV/AIDS as their genital organs have not yet fully developed.
“Underage children in prostitution are definitely more prone to contracting STDs such as HIV/AIDS because the girls’ genital organs have not yet fully developed,” said Bagong.
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Deputy for special protection for children at the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, Nahar, assessed that the recurrence of child trafficking cannot be separated from factors of poverty, low education and incorrect parenting. These conditions make children vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking.
There seems to be an endless demand for child trafficking syndicates. “It is the fact that there are people looking for it and those willing to prepare it. So, we have something we need and there are people who provide it. This is what perpetuates these cases [of child trafficking] and their various forms,” he said.
The ministry has no authority to monitor the flow of information in private digital spaces, such as Michat and Whatsapp.
Indonesian Child Protection Commission chairwoman Ai Maryati Solihah explained that there are two methods children become ensnared in sexual exploitation, namely online and offline. Prostitution with a network involves brokers and pimps, while prostitution without a network does not involve such intermediaries. Children are more vulnerable to falling into the latter due to technology. They are able to access applications to directly reach potential customers.
In collaboration with:
Bali Process
Information and public communication director general at the Communications and Information Ministry, Usman Kansong, said the government actively combed through social media and websites to block negative content. This sweep uses an artificial intelligence machine, called the automatic identification system (AIS), and manual cyber patrols in an effort to prevent child trafficking.
However, sweeping and blocking negative content can only be done on public platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The ministry has no authority to monitor the flow of information in private digital spaces, such as Michat and Whatsapp. (ILO/JOG/FRD/DIV)
This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.
