Two human trafficking rings have sent more than 1,000 Indonesian people illegally to Saudi Arabia and Jordan since 2015
By
Ayu Nurfaizah
·4 minutes read
AYU NURFAIZAH
Members of the Indonesian National Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs present a number of pieces of evidence in the form of documents on prospective workers used by trafficking in persons to send prospective workers to Saudi Arabia, during a press conference on the crime of trafficking in persons at Police Headquarters, Jakarta, Tuesday (4/4) /2023).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Trafficking in persons abroad has become a growing concern. Recently it was revealed that two human trafficking syndicates had despatched more than 1,000 Indonesian citizens to Saudi Arabia since 2015. The syndicates earned between Rp 3 million (US$200) and Rp. 6.5 million from each person sent.
In addition to the two syndicates, a man involved in human trafficking was also arrested recently. He had deceived people who wanted to work in the Middle East and Europe.
The case was uncovered after a number of Indonesian citizens were discovered stranded in Jordan and Singapore. The exposing of this human trafficking case was the result of cooperation between the National Police and the Foreign Ministry.
In a press conference at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday (4/4/2023), the director general of crimes at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency, Brig. Gen. (Pol) Djuhandhani Rahardjo Puro said the case was revealed thanks to a report from the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, regarding Indonesian citizens who had become victims of human trafficking.
The victims were promised employment in Saudi Arabia throughtransit in Jordan.
After an investigation, it was found that the trafficking of persons involved six perpetrators, including two syndicates. The alleged perpetrators, who were all male, were arrested in a number of places in West Java and Jakarta.
The first syndicate involved ZA (54), MA (53) and SR (33). ZA financed the recruitment and departure of the victims. The recruitment of prospective workers was carried out by MA, while SR was involved in obtaining passports and buying tickets. From each worker, ZA received Rp 6 million, while MA and SR, respectively, received Rp 3 million and Rp 4 million.
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.
The second syndicate involved, among others, RR (38) and AS (58). AS had connections in Saudi trafficking networks. Both RR and AS recruited and sent workers directly to Saudi Arabia. Within a month, Djuhandhani said, RR sent up to 10 workers. For each worker, RR received Rp 6.5 million and AS Rp 5 million.
The perpetrators promised the victims a wage of 1,200 riyals, or Rp 4.9 million, per month if they worked in Saudi Arabia. They departed for Saudi Arabia on tourist visas to Jordan.
"The suspects confessed that they had sent migrant workers illegally since 2015. There were more than 1,000 people," said Djuhandhani.
Fraud
The police also arrested OP (40), a woman who recruited potential workers with the promise of being hired in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Poland. From each person, OP demanded compensation of Rp 15 million to Rp 40 million for her services.
According to Djuhandhani, the prospective workers handled by OP were flown to Singapore for transit. Upon arrival in Singapore, they were abandoned.
The director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities at the Foreign Ministry, Judha Nugraha, said that the ministry had identified 25 victims of human trafficking carried out by OP. They were all abandoned in Singapore.
“A total of 23 people have been repatriated to Indonesia. The other two chose to live and work abroad,” he said.
However, Judha said that the identification process for the 1,000 Indonesian citizens who were trafficked to Saudi Arabia and Jordan was still underway.
The executive director of the Migrant Care advocacy group, Wahyu Susilo, said that Manpower Minister Decree No. 260/2015 on the moratorium on the placement of migrant workers in 19 countries in the Middle East had led to an increase in the demand for workers in the region. The Covid-19 pandemic also contributed to the increase in human trafficking due to social restrictions that had reduced employment opportunities.
"It is necessary to make efforts to provide labor-intensive jobs and revitalize rural areas in order to stop human trafficking," he said.
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
