Jakarta strengthens public awareness on human trafficking
The Jakarta Department of Empowerment, Child Protection, and Population Control (PPAPP) is strengthening public capacity regarding prevention, self-protection, and reporting when indications of the criminal act of human trafficking (TPPO) are found.
One of these strengthening efforts was carried out through an online seminar themed “Beware of TPPO in the Digital Era: Recognise the Methods, Protect Yourself, Save Others”, which involved residents across Jakarta on Wednesday.
On that occasion, Head of the Jakarta PPAPP Department Dwi Oktavia said that preventing TPPO in Jakarta is highly complex and therefore requires the participation of all parties.
According to her, digital connectivity enables increasingly diverse methods used by TPPO perpetrators, so complex prevention efforts are needed.
“Prevention must start from the upstream, starting from us having digital literacy or understanding that if we want to use the internet or use a mobile phone, what is allowed and what is not. Do not spread our NIK number in the digital world and so on,” said Dwi.
She said prevention efforts that can be undertaken include strengthening the digital literacy of parents and children as well as building the ability to recognise the methods used by TPPO perpetrators in seeking their victims.
“So that children also have good digital literacy and then do not become victims of TPPO because of using the internet unwisely,” said Dwi.
“So, it is important to recognise this so that we can avoid the crime of human trafficking,” said Dwi.
On that occasion, National Coordinator of ECPAT Indonesia Andy Ardian said TPPO, including in Jakarta, uses a number of methods, including job recruitment, contract marriage, scams, and online gambling.
“There have also been cases involving contract marriage. Previously these usually occurred in Singkawang, in the Kalimantan region, but it turns out that some of the victims also came from Jakarta. Then, cases related to scams and online gambling also actually involve Jakarta residents,” said Andy.
He explained that in the January–March 2025 period, the Indonesian National Police handled 609 TPPO cases with 1,503 victims. This figure has already surpassed half of the total number of victims throughout 2024, namely 2,179 victims from 843 cases with 1,090 suspects.