Police develop database on human trafficking
P.C. Naommy, Jakarta
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is working with the National Police to develop a database on cases of human trafficking.
Counter-trafficking officer Kristin M. Dadey of the IOM told The Jakarta Post on Friday that the database, which is expected to be completed within the next few months, would help provide better statistics on incidents of trafficking and criminal methods used.
"The police are currently having trouble collecting data on the crime. Besides the poor system for organizing data, the trouble also comes from the many victims who don't report their cases to the police," said Kristin.
The National Police recorded only 650 human trafficking cases from 1999 to 2003. Of the total number, 430 cases have been closed.
Research carried out in 2003 by non-governmental organization Women's Journal Foundation (YPJ) showed that as many as 5,000 women and children were trafficked to Batam island, a popular weekend destination for Singaporeans and Malaysians in 2002.
According to IOM records, between 800,000 and 4 million cases of human trafficking occur worldwide every year.
Besides providing a more accurate estimation of the number of cases, the database would help the police maintain operations and investigations. It would also provide current information that could be relevant to an ongoing case.
"We are now formulating the database and determining the kind of information that needs to be collected. But, the most important information is data on the victims, and the methods used by the perpetrators," said Kristin.
The IOM and donor country New Zealand will provide 30 computers for provincial police offices nationwide, and another 10 computers for National Police Headquarters in Jakarta.
The computers for National Police Headquarters will act as servers, and will have online connections to receive information from the other computers in the 30 working units at provincial police offices around the country.
The database is part of a main project called The Pilot Program in Indonesia to Combat the Trafficking of Human Beings Through Law Enforcement, which is funded by the New Zealand Agency for International Development.
Awareness of the problem in the country has grown steadily as can be seen in the drafting of a law on human trafficking, the endorsement of Law No. 23/2002 on child protection and the issuance of Presidential Decree No.88/2002 on the prevention of the trafficking of women and children.
In 2003, the U.S. government reclassified Indonesia from Tier III to Tier II as a country that has shown significant efforts in combating the crime. Tier I is for countries that are in full compliance with the Act's minimum standard, and Tier III is for countries that neither meet minimum standards, nor make significant efforts.
The rank was based on data collected by U.S. foreign affairs from 186 posts overseas, then presented at the annual national congress in the U.S.
Countries classified as Tier III could face sanctions, including the possible cutoff of non-humanitarian aid and alienation by the world community.