TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Assistant Deputy for Women’s Rights in human trafficking cases for the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry (KPPPS), Destri Handayani, said human trafficking cases most often involved sexual exploitation in the form of prostitution.

“Based on the ministry’s study on the number of news reports throughout 2018, the modus operandi often involves sexual exploitation,” said Destri in a media discussion on the protection of women and children from online prostitution network held in Jakarta on Friday, February 1.

Read: Indonesia Targeted for Child Sexual Exploitation: Social Ministry

Destri revealed that children often became the victims with 20 sexual exploitation victims in 2019 alone. The ministry also found many cases where former victims of child sexual exploitation became the perpetrators of the crime. Traumas is said to drive these victims into becoming the perpetrators.

“Some cases saw victims become recruiters and don’t act as the main perpetrators,” said Destri. However, there were also other cases with recruiters sans past traumatic experiences that were mostly driven by financial reasons.

Read: Refugee Children in Bangkok, Jakarta Face Trafficking Risk

The ministry announced other than sexual exploitation, the modus operandi of human trafficking also involved coercion into becoming illegal migrant workers, housemaids, fake adoption, mail order brides, pornography, human-organ sales, and street beggars.

ANTARA