West Java Dominates Human Trafficking Victim Protection Requests, LPSK Calls for Village-Level Collaboration

The Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) has noted that West Java remains the region with the highest number of applicants seeking protection as victims of the criminal act of human trafficking (TPPO), making cross-sector collaboration down to the village level crucial for strengthening prevention efforts. LPSK Deputy Chair Antonius PS Wibowo stated in Jakarta on Thursday that the number of protection requests received by the agency has been fluctuating. In 2024, there were 576 requests, followed by 554 requests in 2025, and as of May 2026, the figure stood at 132, with the potential to increase by the end of the year. He explained that based on LPSK data, West Java is the region of origin for the most victims applying for protection, followed by East Nusa Tenggara, Central Java, and East Java. This data represents requests received by the LPSK and may differ from data held by other ministries or institutions. In addition to receiving protection requests, as of May 2026, the LPSK is also handling 132 victims of human trafficking from several ongoing cases, including those in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, the Riau Islands, and several other regions. This data aligns with records from the West Java Provincial Government, which indicate an increasing trend in the handling of human trafficking cases. LPSK Chair Achmadi stated that handling human trafficking requires collaboration from all stakeholders, including the mass media, which plays a strategic role in expanding public education. He noted that victims of human trafficking are not only found in urban areas but also in many rural areas, so prevention efforts must reach the village level. ‘The media also has a very important role to amplify, in addition to what has been continuously done by ministries, agencies, the central government, and local governments. Victims are in various regions, even in villages. This means collaboration among all of us, ministries, agencies, local governments down to village administrations, is very important to continue fighting for the protection of women, including in cases of human trafficking,’ he said.