Indonesia Needs Independence From Human Trafficking

Jakarta, Indonesia - According to DarkBali, an Indonesia-based advocacy organisation attempting to tackle the issue of human trafficking, the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) made arrests a while ago cracking down on an organ trafficking syndicate involving Balinese state officials. Although the arrest is a positive step and a great move by the government to begin cracking down on human trafficking, it also reveals that the scale of human trafficking happening in our country is unconscionable.

As Indonesia celebrated our independence day from the yoke of colonialism last month on the 17th of August, there are still Indonesians suffering under the yoke of this sinister worldwide pandemic of human trafficking.

As children in one part of Indonesia said goodbye to their parents in the morning of the 17th to participate in fun competitions and flag raising ceremonies, there are children in another part of Indonesia who are praying for nothing else but a normal life, praying for deliverance from the cruelty that they suffer by the dirty hands of their traffickers.

As Indonesians clock in for work in the morning and others show up to their classes, there are also Indonesians who are stuck in underground brothels after being coerced into sex slavery, being seen as nothing more than objects of sexual gratification. According to the Trafficked Persons Report, among the people pressured into sex slavery, 70,000-80,000 are children under the age of adulthood. Imagine a child leaving their house not to study under a teacher, but to be pressured into being the victim of perverted pedophiles every single day.

Other than sex trafficking, human trafficking also comes in the form of forced labour. When hearing this word, one might think of kids being forced to work in sweatshops or factories - and though this might be true an example of trafficking may very well be looking us in the eyes daily. A sad example is begging syndicates, which basically force children to beg in the streets luring sympathetic and well meaning but naive individuals to give them money which would then be used to expand the trafficking operation.

A “mother” carrying a baby, a little kid doing street dances, and even kids selling fruits and items? It is best to not give your money to them out of a sense of sympathy, because they may very well be victims of trafficking forced by their traffickers to give more profit. Even worse, these practices might even be contributing to children being drugged - as indicated by a 2016 report from the Indonesian Police that exploitation rackets are drugging children with sedative drugs to the point where they were found unresponsive in order to make drivers sympathise with them and give money.

The contrast between the lives of Indonesians free from modern day slavery and those chained by it paints a depressing picture of our society. Unfortunately however, it is our reality. According to the Global Slavery Index, a total of 1,2 million Indonesians are in the condition of being enslaved. Each number in this 1,2 million represents a person with aspirations, dreams, hopes, fears, and a sense of morality. Each number is a person who undoubtedly has the same God-given right to human dignity as everyone we meet daily who are not victims of trafficking.

Women are more than just sex objects, and children are certainly not able to give informed consent to perverted adults. Simply put, all humans have dignity and should not have to undergo forced labour or coercion.

In recent years, more and more arrests with the intention of stopping human trafficking has been conducted by the Indonesian National Police (POLRI), especially after President Joko Widodo established an anti-human trafficking task force after recognising the serious moral crisis that Indonesia continues to undergo with the presence of trafficking.

However, even with increased government involvement, a lot of human trafficking can end with the awareness of average citizens of our country. Stop giving money to street beggars despite how sympathetic they may seem, and consider contributing to anti-trafficking organisations such as DarkBali and Rumah Faye which contributes a lot to ensuring victims of trafficking are rescued and recovery can happen.

The government should continue to do its part, fearlessly detaining traffickers no matter their social stature and level of influence, and the citizens of Indonesia should support these efforts by recognizing potential cases of trafficking and contributing to fight them.

The fight against human trafficking is comparable to Indonesia’s fight to secure independence, facing off against an evil that seeks to keep humans under forced servitude. We need to fight trafficking with the same willpower our Founding Fathers fought colonialism, and clean Indonesia from human trafficking in order to become a shining beacon of freedom that could be encouragement for other nations to do the same.

Human trafficking is a worldwide issue, and if Indonesia continues to fight it, other nations will inevitably follow suit. It is our mission as Indonesians to seek to find ways to eliminate it completely. It is our solemn obligation to allow victims of human trafficking to feel the same happiness we feel from achieving our independence. Just as our country is not for sale, none of the creations of God, no matter their age or gender, are for sale.