If all parties are willing to play an active part, villages as the lowest level of administration can have a major role in the protection of children.
By
Kompas Team
·4 minutes read
ARSIP KOMPAS
SK (17) when met in Blitar, East Java, Thursday (12/1/2023). This woman is a survivor of child trafficking who was brought to Malaysia.
Child victims of human trafficking frequently come from remote villages a long way from the hustle and bustle of cities. For this reason, prevention efforts should start from villages in order to cut off the chain of child trafficking.
A number of villages have begun prevention attempts following the discovery of cases of child trafficking. Kemloko village in Nglegok, Blitar, East Java, for instance, has found a human trafficking case with SK, 17, as the victim.
Residents of the village where SK lives generally work in agriculture or trade. Meanwhile, based on data from the official Kemloko village website on Wednesday (1/3/2023), the number of residents out of work is also large, with 1,142 out of 4,886 people unemployed.
At the same time, more than half of its total population has no junior high school (SMP) education. SK is among those who have not finished SMP.
SK was at the time employed in Malaysia at the age of only 14. She mentioned the assistance of circles from outside the village that had offered the job. It turned out that SK received no pay and followed no proper working hours. She was frequently beaten up by her agent in Malaysia.
Kemloko village secretary Khotib Azhari said SK’s case was only discovered when there was a deportation of migrant workers from Malaysia in April 2020. The case was also shocking because SK had been able to work overseas at the age of only 14.
SK was at the time employed in Malaysia at the age of only 14.
“The village administration was only informed when SK was sent home. At the time, Covid-19 was breaking out and she had to be put into quarantine. SK’s story was spreading and finally she was found to have departed illegally, without involving village authorities,” said Khotib.
He continued that the case of SK had sparked awareness that child trafficking still occurred in his community. Furthermore, Kemloko village was one of the areas showing high interest in employment as migrant workers. Youngsters in the village can be coaxed into becoming migrant workers through illegal channels.
KOMPAS/ADITYA DIVERANTA
One side of SK's house (17) when visited in Blitar, East Java, on Thursday (12/1/2023).
Spreading awareness
Literacy about human trafficking is also provided in the village. Khotib spreads awareness of migrant worker employment through families and residents’ forums. The points inculcated in teenagers is that migrant workers are not always success stories. Many failures have often befallen them, with one example being when they become trapped in human trafficking circles.
With the ex-migrant workers’ association, Khotib and village officials tell the stories of migrant workers’ failures in the past. This is meant to make interested youths learn from the failures, covering the risks of working without pay, exceeding working hours and being maltreated.
“We along with the ex-migrant workers’ association also recount the failures of migrant workers employed through illegal channels. In this way, not only success stories are spread and teenagers will become cautious. Learn first, be smart first, examine the information [job offer], whether it is legal or not,” he pointed out.
Directed to legal path
Khotib said residents in need of recommendation letters to become migrant workers would always be directed to take the legal path. This channel is among others through the Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement Company (P3MI) or the official institution.
“We also strive to monitor strangers in the village who seem to offer overseas jobs through illegal channels. Efforts are made to warn residents to be cautious. However, the choice again goes back to them,” said Khotib.
Airlangga University sociologist Bagong Suyanto said there should be a mechanism for child trafficking control at the village level. This is because brokers are often engaged in a guerrilla-like search for youngsters in villages. This also necessitates control to be conducted in a guerrilla fashion from villages.
Bagong also stressed the importance of the presence of secondary groups sensitive to human trafficking. The role of these groups is urgent in providing literacy, warning residents of the worst risks if trapped by the persuasions of such illegal practices.
“The village apparatus should be sensitive. If strangers enter [the village] for instance, offering overseas jobs, great caution should be taken. So, there should be someone who warns, someone who checks to find out who is taking the young people, who is the go-between,” said Bagong.
If all parties are willing to play an active part, villages as the lowest level of administration can have a major role in the protection of children.
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