Made Arya Kencana, Denpasar – Up to 20 percent of Indonesian migrant workers have fallen victim to human trafficking, a figure that suggests that the criminals involved are just as well organized as those engaged in other forms of illicit transboundary trade, a minister said on Friday.
"This shows that trafficking remains an organized crime against humanity, similar to the narcotics and weapons trade," said Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, the minister for women's empowerment and child protection, at the opening of a national coordination meeting in Bali.
Linda said that nine million Indonesians currently worked overseas, and that of those who became victims of trafficking, 70 percent were recruited and sent overseas illegally.
Statistics from the International Organization for Migration showed that 90.3 percent of victims of human trafficking were women, while 23.6 percent of them were children.
The IOM attributed most of the trafficking cases to poverty, high demand in recipient countries and the lucrative profits possible for those involved in the migrant worker business.
According to Linda, the government has already set up anti-trafficking task forces in 88 districts and cities across 27 provinces. The task forces are backed up by Women and Children's Empowerment Integrated Service Centers (P2TP2A) in 197 districts and cities, and women and children protection units based in 456 district police headquarters.
Linda said she was concerned that most of the anti-trafficking task forces had yet to establish concrete plans and secure budgets to fight the crime.
"Certainly some of the task forces are active, but there are also others that haven't done anything yet," the minister said. Linda cited several challenges in gathering data and information on trafficking, saying the complexity of the problem necessitated a lengthy investigation process to secure sufficient evidence to prosecute the crime.
The minister said that poverty and low educational background were not the only factors that characterized victims of trafficking cases, saying socio-cultural beliefs were also to blame. "We still cling strongly to a patriarchal culture that discriminates against women," she said.
Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika said his administration had issued a regulation to address trafficking, but denied the practice occurred in the province. "To date, there is no indication of [human trafficking] cases in Bali," he said.
Bali, he claimed, had been sending migrant workers through formal channels, which had helped reduce trafficking. "The risk of becoming victims of trafficking can be minimized by sending qualified workers," he said.
Meanwhile, the P2TP2A office in Karawang, West Java, reported that half of the 30 subdistricts in the area were vulnerable to human trafficking.
The area is also vulnerable to cases of domestic violence, it reported, supporting the connection that the minister had drawn between trafficking and a strongly patriarchal culture. "The number of human trafficking victims continue to rise each year," P2TP2A Karawang chairwoman Nurlatifah told reporters last week.
Nurlatifah said the P2TP2A's functions included information dissemination and provision of guidance, consultation and training for women and public officials. In the future, the agency is expected to expand its focus to various other issues in women and children's empowerment.
"Especially since the majority of trafficking and domestic violence victims are women. They are not only adult women, little girls are also prone to both cases. That's why a special agency is needed to protect them," Nurlatifah said.
She said that West Java had the highest rate of human trafficking cases in Indonesia, because it was one of the most populated provinces in the country, and included the Karawang industrial area, which is prone to trafficking.
She said women working in factories were at increased risk of becoming domestic abuse victims because they often earned substantially more than their traditionally minded husbands, she said. "That's why we're aggressively educating the community. This is a preventive measure for both cases," she said.
Separately, Karawang Family Planning and Women's Empowerment Agency head Yuska Yassin said many institutions were involved in curbing the human trafficking problem, including the police and ministries concerned with health, social affairs and manpower.
The number of human trafficking cases in Karawang from 2010 to date number just 62, Yuska said. "This year we've only discovered one case," he said, citing the efforts of the above agencies in reducing the crime rate.
He said that the majority of victims of human trafficking were female, and below 20 years of age. They mostly came from coastal towns and from low-income families, he added.
Yuska said that they were offered jobs in other cities or overseas, and promised a high salary if they worked as domestic helpers or as store keepers. The reality was often very different, with many forced into indentured labor, including sex work, he said.
One recently discovered victim of human trafficking is 20-year-old Luki Triwahyuni, currently being cared for at the Said Sukanto Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta. Her case drew the attention of State Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan, who paid her a visit on Thursday.
Luki left her hometown of Indramayu in West Java to work in Malaysia. By so doing, she hoped to improve her life, but found her situation drastically worsened after suffering abuse including starvation at the hands of her employer. Luki was left weighing just 23 kilograms.
Dahlan said the goal of his visit with Luki was to give her support and to ensure that all her medical expenses were covered by the state. The minister brought her ice cream, saying he had heard she had repeatedly requested it of hospital staff.
"Askes [a state insurance company] has already visited yesterday and confirmed it was ready to cover [Luki's] expenses. The hospital is also ready [to cover the expenses]," Dahlan said.
He insisted that his visit was not a media stunt, and that it was important for the victim to be accompanied by her family. "My visit here is not that important. Most important is that her family is here. That's why I didn't want to stay inside for too long," he said.
Dahlan said he was optimistic that Luki would soon recover. "Her weight has increased by two kilograms to 25 kilograms now," he told reporters at the hospital. "You're great, keep your spirits up. You will recover soon," he added to Luki.