Febriamy Hutapea – Indonesia on Tuesday finally joined the official international campaign against the trafficking and smuggling of people by ratifying United Nations protocols that outlaw the practices.

The ratification by the House of Representatives means Indonesia is now a full supporter of ensuring migrants receive humane treatment and have full protection of their rights.

The measures were adopted by 10 House factions during a plenary session and are aimed at preventing and combating the trafficking and smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air, as well as promoting international cooperation to stop the practices.

Of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-nations, only Thailand, the Philippines and now Indonesia have so far taken such action.

Under the protocols, migrants are also protected from criminal prosecution for having become clients of smuggling operations.

The protocols form part of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, which the House finally ratified in December, nine years after the government signed it, giving Indonesia a stronger legal basis with which to fight organized crime.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalatta said in the plenary session that the ratification reflected the government's strong opposition to human trafficking and smuggling and would boost the country's image internationally.

He said the protocols would complement the already-existing laws on human trafficking, witness and victim protection and human protection, as well as the immigration bill now being deliberated by the legislature.

Daday Hudaya, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, said that as an archipelago, Indonesia was particularly vulnerable to human smuggling, and that regional and international cooperation were therefore in the nation's interest.

"Indonesia is made up of a sprawling land mass," he said. "If it is not managed with an adequate security system, organized crime will stand to benefit."