RT, RW, and PKK Urged to Become Frontline Agents in Preventing Online Gambling
The Jakarta Inspectorate has requested that RT, RW, members of the Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK), Dharma Wanita, and Karang Taruna become the foremost agents in preventing online gambling.
“The next step is to invite all stakeholders, not just the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), but also RT, RW, PKK, Karang Taruna and Dharma Wanita to jointly carry out intervention efforts,” said Head of the Jakarta Inspectorate Dhanny Sukma in West Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to him, these bodies are closest to the smallest groups within society. “For example, RT and RW target residents in their neighbourhoods. PKK targets families. Dharma Wanita focuses largely on the wives of civil servants, who also play an important role in carrying out prevention efforts,” Dhanny said.
He stated that intervention efforts can begin with interactions with players or people suspected of engaging in online gambling. “Inviting community members, not letting them carry out individual activities at home, but rather social activities to interact with one another. Once they interact and get to know each other, the hope is that trust will emerge,” Dhanny explained.
“When there is trust, a high level of awareness will arise that this is our common problem, especially regarding online loans, because the impact of online gambling will become more widespread,” Dhanny revealed.
Furthermore, he noted that online gambling cases in Jakarta continue to rise every year. “The trend has been increasing year on year. In 2023, we obtained data from PPATK (Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre) showing 80,000 players. The following year, that number doubled to around 150,000, and it continued to rise the year after that,” Dhanny explained.
Therefore, Dhanny stressed the need for a deep collective awareness that online gambling is extremely dangerous for the sustainability of the family economy. “It also leads to family conflicts and economic conflicts within the family, as well as on a broader scale,” Dhanny concluded.