Task force needed to fight women, children trafficking
Task force needed to fight women, children trafficking
Abu Hanifah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Women and children trafficking, which has earned Indonesia a
bad name, is showing no sign of abating because the government
lacks the commitment to stop it, an activist and a legislator
say.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has often expressed her
personal concern about the matter but her administration is yet
to do anything concrete about it, they say.
National Commission for Women (Komnas Perempuan) head
Saparinah Sadli proposed that the government establish a special
task force to solve the problem.
"Although I know it won't solve the problem thoroughly, it
will at least show the government's concern about the issue,"
Saparinah told The Jakarta Post.
The task force should consist of representatives from various
agencies, such as local administrations, police, experts,
activists and the foreign affairs ministry, she said.
The United Nations (UN) has categorized Indonesia as among the
worst in the world for human trafficking because the country has
no adequate legislation on the trade.
The recent People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session
recommended the government ratify the 1949 UN convention on human
trafficking and establish a task force to deal with the problem.
Saparinah said there was no need for the government to ratify
another convention as it already ratified numerous conventions on
related issues, such as the convention on discrimination against
women.
"Without ratifying another convention, the government already
has obligations to fight women and children trafficking
activities," Saparinah said.
Separately, House of Representatives Commission VII on
people's welfare chairman Taufik Ruki pointed out that the
government had neither the concept nor the political will.
"The government still regards the problem as purely criminal,
whereas the substance is wider than that," Taufik told the Post.
Taufik said that although the president raised her concerns
about women and children trafficking when addressing the Annual
Session on Oct. 1, 2001, the administration was yet to carry out
the recommendation.
He said that people trafficking had become an intricate
problem in Indonesia because of acute poverty. The basic thing
that Indonesia should do to stop the trafficking was to eradicate
poverty.
"Indeed it will take time. But once the poverty problem is
resolved, the women and children trafficking may also be
resolved," Taufik said.