The government is preparing a scheme in the handling of cases of human trafficking, one area of which is child trafficking for commercial sexual activity.
By
SONYA HELLEN SINOMBOR
·5 minutes read
ARSIP KOMPAS
NT (19), a victim of child trafficking when met at his home in Subang, West Java on Thursday (2/2/2023). NT was forced to work as a worker in a cafe in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A day after Kompas daily’s Investigation Team uncovered the practice of child trafficking for commercial sexual activity, the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry through the deputy for Special Protection of Children immediately held a coordination meeting to discuss efforts to fight human trafficking on Friday (10/3/2023), in Jakarta.
During the meeting, stakeholders, such the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), the Jakarta Women and Children Empowerment Integrated Service Center (P2TP2A), West Java P2TP2A and several other parties, were invited to discuss the scheme to handle criminal cases of people trafficking (TPPO) involving child victims.
"Based on Kompas’ reports, we need to make comprehensive efforts. There are several efforts in the big scheme, starting from supervision, protection, prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration," Special Protection of Children director of the child protection ministry Nahar said in Jakarta.
According to Nahar, eradicating child prostitution was our joint task. Various efforts, such as raids and law enforcement, had been carried out, but these practices still continued.
Preventive measures should also be carried out in locations that have been raided so that cases of child trafficking will not recur. In addition, online prevention must be also intensified because child prostitution has penetrated cyberspace.
Based on Kompas’ reports, we need to make comprehensive efforts.
"Based on Kompas’ reports,we have to do something, to stop it happening. We have also had discussions with [internet] providers and the Communications and Information Ministry. However, cases still occur, so a new, comprehensive scheme is needed. Cases are often considered completed at the rehabilitation stage, but there is no monitoring [following this]," said Nahar.
Based on reports from the Kompas daily’s Investigation Team, a girl with the initials TA (16) was sold and used as a commercial sex worker in Depok, West Java, by a peer through an online application. TA and her friend offered their services in a rooming house, where middlemen and sex workers stayed. (Kompas.id, 9/3/2023).
Task force
The handling of human trafficking is the responsibility of numerous ministries and government at the provincial, regency and city level that have been represented in the Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of the Human Trafficking. The task force consists of 19 ministries and agencies, 23 work units and regional apparatus organizations at the provincial level and 21 work units and regional apparatus organizations at the regency/city level.
Assistant deputy for the Protection of Women's Rights of the child protection ministry, Priyadi Santosa, said the commitment to protect children had been regulated in the law and Presidential Regulation No. 19 of 2023 concerning the national action plan for the prevention and handling of human trafficking in 2020-2024.
"We will hold a more detailed meeting on how to take more concrete action. Hopefully this case can be like the handling of stunting, which has become the concern of various parties," he said.
KPAI chairperson Ai Maryati Solihah said that the presidential regulation on the handling of human trafficking was a political step that should involve all parties, including legal officials. This was because law enforcement officials played a key role in dismantling the human trafficking syndicates as well as providing legal guarantees for victims of child trafficking.
ARSIP KOMPAS
CA (25) met a customer in Jakarta, Sunday (19/2/2023). CA often offers underage children for prostitution through the social media Twitter.
Based on the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children of the child protection ministry, cases of child trafficking and exploitation decreased from 1,009 cases in 2021 to 708 cases in 2022. However, it is necessary to clarify whether the number of the cases has really declined in the field.
From that data, according to Ai, there was an escalation in human trafficking cases, especially with child victims. Therefore, concrete action was needed to go directly to the field to find out the real facts.
“In the past, maybe the increase was in numbers. However, now victims have no control over their bodies or [where] exploitation occurs," she said.
The modus operandi used by the human trafficking syndicates is to use social media and electronic devices as tools to trap the victims.
This exploitation was recorded in an investigation conducted by the Kompas daily team when they met NT (19), a victim of child trafficking in Rawa Bebek, Jakarta. According to NT, the children there were forced to serve at least 12 men per night. If not, they would become targets of anger and their payments will be cut (Kompas.id, 9/3/2023).
Women’s Empowerment and Children’s Protection Minister I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati said that data from the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children in October 2022 recorded 2,356 victims of human trafficking. Of the total number, 50.97 percent were children and 46.14 percent were adult women.
"The modus operandi used by the human trafficking syndicates is to use social media and electronic devices as tools to trap the victims," said Darmawati.
Handling in the area
As previously reported by Kompas, one of the locations used to trade children for commercial sexual activity was uncovered in 2020 during a patrol conducted by the security forces of the Covid-19 task force in Gang Royal, Penjaringan, North Jakarta. From there it was revealed that the victims were underage.
Noridha, a clinical psychology expert who helped handle the prostitution cases in Gang Royal, added that most of the victims actually experienced psychological impacts as a result of being taken to rehabilitation homes. They also did not realize that they were the victims of child trafficking.
Children who fell into commercial sexual activity generally did it for economic motives, in addition to being influenced by the surrounding environment, being trapped when looking for jobs on social media and having experienced sexual violence in the past. "Usually they think 'well, never mind, I'm not a virgin anymore, just as well'. The hard part is to change the negative views of the victim," said Noridha. (Z08)
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
