The role of local authorities as a "shield" in preventing human trafficking

Village authorities play an important role in preventing human trafficking and ensuring people's livelihoods.

Người đứng đầu Cơ quan Bảo vệ người lao động nhập cư Indonesia, ông Rinardi tại họp báo ngày 15/6. (Nguồn: Antara)

Head of Indonesia's Migrant Workers Protection Agency, Mr. Rinardi, affirmed that human traffickers must be punished according to the law with the strictest form. (Source: Antara)

According to the head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI), Mr. Rinardi, village chiefs and local officials need to be responsible for protecting people from the risks of being scammed into working in other countries.

Speaking at a press conference on June 15 in the capital Jakarta, Mr. Rinardi emphasized that Law No. 18 of 2017 on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers stipulates that local authorities at the village level are responsible for protecting migrant workers.

This means that village authorities should get involved in guiding and informing people about legal avenues for finding work abroad.

“We call on Indonesian residents who wish to work abroad to comply with legal working procedures and only choose legal ways, as stipulated in Law No. 18 of 2017,” Rinardi said.

Human trafficking organizations often lure victims with offers of easy, high-paying jobs, and victims often leave the country illegally, without a visa or work permit issued by the authorities.

The scammers “even give extra money to the family when their members go to work abroad,” said Mr. Rinardi. “The amount is between 5 million and 15 million Rupiah ($335–1,005) and because of the economic pressure, the family will not refuse.”

Victims of human trafficking are often hired to do menial labor in homes, farms, or factories abroad without a defined employment contract or fixed schedule and are “traded” from one employer to another.

Therefore, the BP2MI official expressed "hope that the organizations involved in the human trafficking network affecting Indonesian migrant workers will face justice and receive heavy sentences".

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