Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – An organization has warned that the trafficking of women from Medan to Malaysia is increasing in intensity, with 16 new cases in the first two months of the year.
The executive director of non-governmental organization Child Protection and Analysis Center, Ahmad Sofian, said the center reported 60 cases of girls and young women being forced to work as commercial sex workers in Malaysia last year. Already in the first two months of the year, the center has dealt with 16 cases.
"From the cases of trafficking we have found, there's an indication that North Sumatra is being used as a transit point by the trafficking syndicate," Sofian told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
He said the syndicate picked North Sumatra for a number of reasons, including its proximity to Malaysia and the ease with which a passport could be obtained there.
Before leaving for Malaysia, many of the trafficking victims, who come from all over Indonesia, stay in Medan to get passports and identity cards made, he said, accusing the syndicate of working with immigration officials to facilitate the departure of the women.
Responding to the increasing number of cases of trafficking from the province, the head of the North Sumatra Police's crimes division, Sr. Comr. Ronny Sompie, said police were working hard to put an end to the crime. He blamed the proximity of Malaysia for the rise in the number of trafficking cases.
"We are working with the Malaysian police to track down trafficking cases, and several people have been arrested. We have been assisted by several non-governmental organizations that focus on this issue," Ronny said.
Sofian's center helped send 11 Indonesian women back to their hometowns Saturday.
One of the women, "Nunung", said she was tricked into working as a commercial sex worker without pay in Malaysia for four years. The 21-year-old native of Pontianak, West Kalimantan, could not believe she was again a free woman.
"Apart from not getting paid, it was hard even to eat. I went through all that for four years working as a sex worker in Malaysia," Nunung said at Polonia Airport before she left Medan for Pontianak.
The 11 women returned home with nothing more than small bags of clothes. Nunung said she was ashamed to return home without anything for her family, but she had no other option.
"It's OK that I have brought nothing home. I just feel grateful that I am able to go home rather than suffer in Malaysia," she said.
She left for Malaysia with a man named Zul in 2002, who promised her work as a cellular phone shop attendant with a decent salary.
But upon arrival in the country, the junior high school graduate was kept at a house and forced to work at a karaoke bar in Pucung, Malaysia, until she was apprehended by Malaysian police.
The center's coordinator, Azmiati Zuliah, said the 11 trafficking victims sent home Saturday, including Nunung, were "rescued" when apprehended by the police, who took them to Semenyeh camp in Kajang, Selangor Dahrul Ehsan, Malaysia.
"When we heard the trafficking victims were apprehended by Malaysian police, we, with the help of North Sumatra Police, worked to help send them back home. The effort was fruitful as they were able to return to their hometowns," said Azmiati.
She said many girls, mostly elementary and junior high school graduates, who were promised decent work and high salaries in Malaysia ended up as commercial sex workers.