Jakarta Man Traffics Young Girls Age 13-15 from Jambi for Sex

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A 52 year old father of two, Sudin a.k.a. Koko, was detained by the police for allegedly sex-trafficking children from Jambi City.  His victims are young girls, their ages between 13 and 15.

The case was detected after a grandmother from Jambi reported her granddaughter was missing. The child, 13, returned with two other young girls. They said they were trapped in a hotel in Jakarta.

The girls were taken to Jakarta by a woman (36) and her daughter ARS (15), and introduced to Sudin who checked them into the All Sedayu Hotel in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. The girls said he raped them and paid them Rp3,5 million each, of which Rp700,000 was taken by ARS and Rizqi.

Sudin prevented the girls from leaving, but they managed to escape. The police arrested ARS and Rizqi the day after receiving the report. Jambi police officers flew to Jakarta to arrest Sudin.

Jambi Police Deputy Chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Rully Andi Yunianto, said the police thought that Mentari's report was about a missing child's case. "We were shocked after they said they were raped," Rully said on Tuesday, January 11.

From digital tracking, it was revealed that around 30 young girls have become victims of Sudin. They are between 13 and 15 years old. Sudin often asked his accomplices to send photos of the girls' student cards as proof that they were still in junior high school.

A source with knowledge of the police examination of Sudin's and the other suspect said there are indications that the actual number of victims was 64. Some of them from outside the City of Jambi.

Rully was reluctant to comment about the huge number of victims, but confirmed there was a possibility that more than 30 children had become victims of Sudin and his child trafficking network.

"We are still developing the case to see if there are other syndicates involved and whether there are other victims," he said.

Rosa Rosilawati, head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit of Jambi City's Women and Children Protection Agency, said the agency provides psychological assistance to the victims. Some of the victims have also had their health checked.

According to Rosa, most of the victims of Sudin's sex trafficking ring come from impoverished families. Their economic situation and young age rendered them unable to refuse Sudin and his accomplices' persuasion. "We continue to stand by them so that they do not become victims for the rest of their lives," she said.

The full story is available at https://magz.tempo.co/read/law/38829/jakarta-jambi-child-trafficking-ring