SUMATRA:JAMBI POLICE RESCUE 5 TIP VICTIMS

UNCLAS JAKARTA 002183 DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS, G/TIP, INL SNYDER, INL ROESS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI SMIG KCRM ID SUBJECT: SUMATRA:JAMBI POLICE RESCUE 5 TIP VICTIMS ¶1. Summary. In a case which demonstrates how local police in remote parts of Indonesia are aware of anti-trafficking efforts, police raided a salon/karaoke parlor in Telanaipura District, Jambi Province in southern Sumatra on November 21, rescuing girls who had been trafficked into prostitution. This raid was part of an ongoing effort in Jambi. All of these West Java victims said they were promised jobs at the salon/karaoke parlor but were not aware that they were going to be prostituted. Jambi police arrested the couple who own the salon and are currently seeking the other traffickers involved. The couple will face child-trafficking, fraud, and pimping charges under Indonesia's tough new anti-trafficking laws. End Summary. SALON OWNERS ARRESTED: TRAFFICKERS SOUGHT -------------- ¶2. On November 21 Jambi police raided a local salon and karaoke parlor in the Telanaipura District, rescuing four girls and a woman who had been forced to work at the salon as prostitutes. Police arrested the business owner and his wife. The five victims ranged in age from 15 to 18 (one age 15, one age 16, two age 17 and one age 18) and had been working in the salon for nearly a month. Four of the girls were from the West Java district Cianjur and one girl came from the East Jakarta suburb of Bekasi. The girls told police that they had originally signed up to work at the salon but were not aware that they would be prostituted. Locals in the neighborhood complained to police about the illegal activities, resulting in the November 21 raid. ¶3. On November 24, after spending several nights at a government shelter run by Jambi social welfare authorities, the five trafficking victims were transported with police escort back to West Java. In a conversation with Consulate Medan staff on November 26, the Jambi police indicated they are collecting birth certificates and family information from all of the victims for use in the investigation and eventual charges against the salon owners. The police also stated that the parents of the victims denied any knowledge of their children being involved in prostitution in Jambi. Jambi police added that their focus was not only on bringing the couple to trial but in finding the traffickers that connected the salon owners to the victims and brought them to Jambi. 15 TIP VICTIMS TO DATE IN 2008 -------------- ¶4. Jambi social workers told Consulate Medan staff in a conversation on November 26 that this is the third trafficking case in Jambi during 2008. During two previous cases a total of 10 TIP victims were returned to Java in cases similar to the November 21 raid. Jambi Province is the fourth largest producer of palm oil in Sumatra despite having a population of only 2.7 million, and is bisected by the trans-Sumatran highway which traverses the island and links it to Java. Police told Medan that they are considering wider sweeps of salons and karaoke parlors to search for additional victims with a focus on finding any underage girls who have been trafficked to Jambi for prostitution. ¶5. Local Jambi NGO SIKOK told Consulate Medan that cases of trafficking and prostitution are on the rise in Jambi and that police action, while welcome, needed to be sustained and more broadly applied in order to be effective. The NGO, which is normally involved in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts and educates prostitutes on the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, told Medan that most of the people who frequent these types of salons are locals and that they pay in a range from IDR 200,000 to IDR 400,000 ($16 to $32) for sex with the women and girls. ¶6. National Police and other government agencies have been undertaking a country-wide effort to educate local police and communities on human trafficking. Promoting public awareness about the tough new 2007 anti-trafficking law to remote areas has taken time but these efforts in Jambi show that the law is now having an impact in even some of the more isolated provinces. The fact that police acted on a tip from citizens indicates good cooperation between law enforcement authorities and civil society, so crucial in fighting trafficking. If Jambi authorities can deter trafficking to that province before it takes hold they can deter traffickers from using Jambi as a destination point. HUME