Jakarta – Thousands of children are being trafficked for prostitution in Indonesia and parents or other family members are often to blame, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Thursday.

More than 10,000 children aged under 18 work as prostitutes in five major cities in Indonesia, the ILO said in a report marking World Day Against Child Labour. The real figure may be even higher considering that many prostitutes work at hidden and unregistered places, it said.

No country is immune from child trafficking but "the problem in Southeast Asia is particularly alarming," said Alan Boulton, ILO director for Indonesia. "Many trafficked children in Indonesia are working in the sex industry," Boulton said.

Boulton said more than one million children worldwide were forced through trafficking into various forms of unwanted work, ranging from hazardous or forced labour to sexual exploitation.

Many Indonesian children have been forced to work in the sex industry by their own parents or family members mainly due to economic pressure, the ILO report said. Many others are often forced to work in exploitative conditions as beggars, housemaids and drug traffickers. Some children are trafficked to Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan.

Andri Yoga Utami, an editor and Indonesian child labour activist, described child trafficking as a gross violation of human rights. "Child prostitution is a complex issue and involves various aspects and interests. It is visible but many people turn a blind eye and tolerate it," she said.