Child Trafficking Involves People Around the Victim

Child trafficking often involves people close to the victim under the guise of helping them. Debt traps and extravagant income offers typically prelude this crime.

ARSIP KOMPAS

RA (16), a child victim who was trafficked via social media in Jakarta. Photo taken on February 25, 2023.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Kompas daily investigation team revealed a number of child trafficking practices that involve people close to them, such as boyfriends or girlfriends, friends, relatives and neighbors. These people typically play a role to lure the victims.

This method of child trafficking involving people close to the victim is often found in cases of child migrant workers who are employed abroad. SK (17), a girl from Nglegok, Blitar, East Java, became a victim and was trafficked to Malaysia when she was 14 years old in 2019. Meanwhile, EH (22), a resident of Tangerang, Bantan, was trafficked as a cross-border migrant worker when she was 17 years old.

The prevalence of human trafficking in this country has pushed Indonesia to take part in the pioneering cross-border cooperation to tackle human trafficking. Together with Australia, the Indonesian government in 2002 initiated the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, also known as the Bali Process.

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The Bali Process now consists of 49 members and several international organizations. Since 2017, the business community has also been included in the Bali Process Government and Business Forum (GABF). The co-chairs from the government side include the foreign minister as well as the Australian foreign minister. Meanwhile, the co-chairs from the business community include Garibaldi Thohir and Andrew Forrest, both businessmen from Indonesia and Australia respectively.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, through the ministry’s multilateral cooperation director general Tri Tharyat, said on Thursday (9/3/2023) the Bali Process was actively pushing to strengthen national mechanisms for early detection of human trafficking in Indonesia via various training to identify potential victims and perpetrators.

According to Garibaldi, amid the complexity of the current global supply chain, malpractices still occur in the system and are difficult to detect. “Perhaps it is intentional or perhaps the business community just doesn’t realize there are elements that actually contribute to human trafficking or exploitation,” said Garibaldi, also known as Boy Thohir.

KOMPAS/NINA SUSILO

Garibaldi Thohir

Thus, Garibaldi invites the business community to develop a deeper understanding to ensure that their business operations are transparent and ethical. This goal can be achieved through, among others, the use of technology.

According to Tri Tharyat, the protection of Indonesian citizens abroad, including those that are victims of trafficking in persons (TIP), is prioritized by representatives of the Indonesian government. This includes providing a 24-hour hotline service, approaching victims, providing shelter, conducting psychological assessments and facilitating repatriation.

The Foreign Ministry’s Indonesian citizens and legal entities protection director, Judha Nugraha, added to prevent children from becoming victims of TIP, Indonesian citizens traveling abroad must be closely monitored and children must be accompanied by their parents.

Victims’ stories

SK’s suffering in Malaysia began with a job offer from SR in September 2019. SR often bought vegetables from SK’s mother and, at the time, asked about SK’s activities. From there, SR began visiting SK’s house and offered her a job as a domestic worker.

SK was then taken to the house of US (38), an acquaintance who often sponsored migrant workers’ departures in Blitar. SK was asked to bring documents, such as her birth certificate and family card, and was told that they would be used to issue her a passport and other requirements, including identification to indicate SK was still a minor.

“I asked if I was allowed to go at 14 years old. She [US] said I could and that it was something she would take care of,” said SK, who just graduated from elementary school, recalling the response of US.

In early 2020, she was then deported to Indonesia.

SK remembers being escorted by an acquaintance of US to have her photo taken and fingerprint recorded in Surabaya, East Java. Her passport was issued a day after and SK prepared to leave for Malaysia. She was not allowed to hold her passport or the other documents. US only showed her a glimpse of the passport, which indicated a fabricated, older age.

After being in Malaysia for about six months and having gone through several employers, SK was held captive, not paid and even subjected to physical violence. SK managed to escape, although she remained in Malaysia. In early 2020, she was then deported to Indonesia.

ARSIP KOMPAS

SK (17) when met in Blitar, East Java, Thursday (12/1/2023). This woman is a survivor of child trafficking who was brought to Malaysia.

US, whom we met on Saturday (14/1), confirmed that she had dealt with SK. She said she only helped fulfill SK’s wish and referred her to an agency based in West Java. “I was only helping, then I handed her over to other people. From someone else, to me, then to others. That’s how it goes,” said US.

Her explanation was then cut off by her husband, UN (43), who confessed he did not know anything about SK. UN’s home is often used as a place for transit for migrant workers. However, he claimed he had never allowed minors to work abroad.

These tragic circumstances also occurred to EH, who accepted an offer to become a migrant worker because she was indebted to her neighbors, who also offered her to work in Malaysia.

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However, EH was instead caught in a human trafficking syndicate and was brought from Malaysia to the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Syria and Iraq. During months of moving between countries and employers, EH was not paid a salary and was subjected to sexual violence.

Separately, the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s immigration director general Silmy Karim said it was still possible there were irregularities in the passport issuing process. In that regard, he will take firm action against staff who facilitate human trafficking efforts.

“There are gaps, of course. But the important thing is to act decisively and minimize the potential for irregularities,” said Silmy.

Migrant Care legal aid coordinator Nurharsono said the lack of information regarding proper migration procedures had resulted in frequent cases of trafficking in persons. These cases often happen to children as well. He confirmed sponsors of illegal migrant workers often approached potential victims directly, either as neighbors or fellow residents. From there, there are many ways to lure potential victims.

Online prostitution

The role of people close to the victim to facilitate human trafficking also occurs in cases of children ensnared in online prostitution. One perpetrator, AL (17), a boy from Bogor, West Java, confessed he had sold his 17-year-old girlfriend as a prostitute. AL became his girlfriend’s pimp in an apartment in Depok municipality in mid-2022.

AL set a rate of Rp 300,000 to Rp 800,000 for his girlfriend. AL usually received a share of Rp 50,000 to Rp 150,000, adding that he could receive 12 customers in a day. (ILO/JOG/FRD/RAZ/DIV)

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ARSIP

Bali Process

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.