Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia has concluded that national efforts to prevent human trafficking remain inadequate. The primary issue leading to this poor supervision is the lack of coordination among relevant government agencies.
Johanes Widijantoro, a Member of the Ombudsman, stated that while institutions such as the Ministry of Immigration and Penitentiary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection, and Ministry of Manpower each operate their own distinct supervision systems, these systems are independent and lack integration.
"The absence of integration has resulted in weak inter-agency coordination, which has largely been incidental and only mobilized after human trafficking cases have already emerged," said Johanes while presenting the results of the Ombudsman's Systemic Study on Friday, November 21, 2025.
Systemic failures and capacity gaps
Furthermore, Johanes reported that the Ombudsman's findings show an absence of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or Minimum Service Standards governing the surveillance of human crossings and the protection of the basic rights of prospective migrant workers at Immigration checkpoints.
He added that the uneven capacity and integrity of officers in several regions contribute to the persistent issue of non-procedural early detection of departures.
"This condition is exacerbated by the broader implications of non-integrated data, such as minimal collaborative roles among agencies, sectoral supervision policies, uneven immigration officer capacities, and program fragmentation for prevention at the village level," Johanes explained.
The Ombudsman emphasizes that integrating the human crossing surveillance system is a strategic, foundational step required to effectively reduce human trafficking cases. Mokhammad Najih, Chair of the Indonesian Ombudsman, asserted that the increasing number of human trafficking victims clearly indicates the weakness of early detection at crossing points.
"The Ombudsman not only receives public complaints but also focuses on maladministration prevention. The integration of the surveillance system is the foundation for us to detect and prevent human trafficking victims from the outset," he stated.
189 human trafficking cases reported in mid-2025
The Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) reported handling 189 Human Trafficking cases in the first six months of 2025. These cases involved 546 victims, the majority of whom were women and children.
Brigadier General Nurul Azizah, Director of Crimes against Women and Children Protection and Human Trafficking Eradication of the Indonesian National Police, detailed the victim breakdown: 260 adult women, 45 girl children, 228 adult men, and 23 boy children. "This indicates that this crime is real, massive, and continues to target the most vulnerable groups in this country," Nurul said in a statement on Friday, June 20, 2025.
This police disclosure follows numerous reports dominated by the non-procedural sending of Indonesian migrant workers, accounting for 117 police reports, alongside 48 reports of commercial sexual exploitation and 24 reports of child exploitation.
According to Nurul, human trafficking victims typically originate from provinces such as West Java, North Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and North Sumatra. Their destinations include Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Syria, Dubai, and South Korea, where they are often employed in the informal sector, on plantations, or forced to become operators of online scams.
– Hammam Izzuddin contributed to the report
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2067775/indonesias-human-trafficking-oversight-remains-weak-says-ombudsma