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.