US Embassy: PESISIR app helps officers detect trafficking victims at sea

The United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have piloted a digital application to assist Indonesian authorities in identifying victims of the crime of human trafficking. The PESISIR app (Monitoring and Screening of Human Trafficking Risk Indicators) is designed to equip Water and Air Police (Polairud) personnel in identifying potential trafficking victims, including victims of forced labour among fishing vessel crew members. “The United States is proud to partner with Indonesia in efforts to strengthen maritime security and combat human trafficking,” said INL Director at the US Embassy Aqueelah Johnson in a press release on Tuesday. “By strengthening Indonesia’s capacity to face maritime threats, we protect vital maritime trade routes for the United States and contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” she said. The application was developed over 33 months through cooperation between INL and IOM. The platform is equipped with audio features in eight languages: Indonesian, English, Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer, Burmese, Tagalog, and Simplified Mandarin. According to the app developers, the language diversity reflects the transnational nature of human trafficking crimes that frequently occur in the fisheries sector. The app was also refined through consultations and simulations with several Indonesian law enforcement agencies. Following the project’s completion this month, PESISIR is ready for use by various Indonesian agencies, including the National Police, the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). The application is expected to assist in the documentation of cases and the handling of various crimes at sea, including human trafficking and forced labour. The initiative also supports the Indonesian government’s efforts to eradicate illegal fishing practices that exploit vessel crew members and combat transnational crime networks in maritime areas.