PPM helps human trafficking victims<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jana, not her real name, put her trust in the man. He offered her
\npaid work and she went with him, all the way from Tanjung Pinang,
\nnear Batam Island, from Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara.
\n That was three years ago.<\/p>\n
"I was intending to work in Tanjung Pinang but in the days
\nafter my arrival I fell ill and fainted on several occasions
\nbecause I had to work until 11.30 p.m.," she recalled.<\/p>\n
During her two-week training period, Jana had to wake up by 5
\na.m. every day.<\/p>\n
Exhausted, she decided to run away because nobody could quit
\nduring training.<\/p>\n
She found a mosque where she met a Muslim cleric who asked her
\nto stay with his family.<\/p>\n
After five days, her energy returned and she set off to find
\nanother job. Only she was cheated for a second time, this time by
\na middleman who promised to find her a job, but sent her to a
\nbrothel instead.<\/p>\n
The woman, now 26, was a sex worker for a month, before a non-
\ngovernmental organization stepped in, taking her to the Rumah
\nKita shelter in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Asked if she had ever reported her case to the police, she
\nsaid: "I hate the sight of police officers, I would never trust
\nthem because they are not cooperative."<\/p>\n
Even so, Jana was recently admitted to Kramat Jati Police
\nHospital in Central Jakarta, the first free medical recovery
\ncenter (PPM) in the country, which opened on June 10.<\/p>\n
Fifteen other women had already arrived at the center, which
\nwas jointly established by the International Organization for
\nMigration (IOM) and the National Police.<\/p>\n
IOM medical worker Lanny Harijanti said more victims of human
\ntrafficking would undergo treatment at the hospital, which also
\nreceives babies.<\/p>\n
"So far, the hospital has not needed to heal (physical)
\nwounds, because the women received treatment at shelters before
\ntheir arrival here," Lanny said.<\/p>\n
A psychologist who works at the center, Suryantini, said most
\nof the women had been so desperate to work they made easy prey
\nfor human traffickers.<\/p>\n
The women at the center come from villages where success is
\nmeasured by the value of one's house, Suryantini said.<\/p>\n
Some of the human trafficking victims said they had been
\nprepared to work 20 hours a day abroad just so they could buy
\nbuilding materials for their village homes, leaving their
\nchildren behind.<\/p>\n
"Perhaps, village chiefs have not educated villagers on the
\nperils of working overseas, in order to protect them from
\nmiddlemen," she said.<\/p>\n
IOM program assistance officer Anna Sakreti said her
\ninstitution had faced many barriers in bringing the victims home.<\/p>\n
Prolonged investigations and court trials stopped them from
\nproviding immediate assistance, she said.<\/p>\n
Anna said NGO activists had often received threats from
\ncertain people involved in human trafficking.<\/p>\n
National Police data shows there were 650 cases of human
\ntrafficking between 1999 and 2003, 430 of which were settled.<\/p>\n
However, a study carried out in 2003 by the Women's Journal
\nFoundation (YJP) found that as many as 5,000 women and children
\nwere trafficked to Batam island that year.<\/p>\n
The IOM estimates between 800,000 and four million cases of
\nhuman trafficking occur worldwide every year. (004)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ppm-helps-human-trafficking-victims-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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