The Head of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Provincial Office in South Sulawesi, Ibu Andi Murlina delivered opening statement for the discussion to address human trafficking, Makassar, 11 September 2017.
Strengthening Inter-Agency Cooperation to Overcome Trafficking in South Sulawesi
Throughout 2016, the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice 2 (AIPJ2) program supported research into strengthening the role of judicial and legal institutions in handling trafficking cases in South Sulawesi. AIPJ2 organised a discussion session in Makassar on 11 September to discuss the research findings and steps to enhance the inter-agency role and coordination in improving the handling of such cases in South Sulawesi.
The event was opened by the Australian Vice Consul-General in Makassar, Ms Violet Rish, and Head of the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Office in the province, Andi Murlina. Representatives of the police, civil society and advocacy organisations on trafficking issues also participated in the discussion.
As cited in the study, trafficking is often referred to as the tip of the iceberg in Indonesia. The crime is undeniably greater than the cases that can be identified through the prosecution level. Despite this situation, efforts to tackle this crime have seemingly been stagnant from year to year.
“Now that the Law on Elimination of Human Trafficking Crimes (Law no. 21/2007) is in place, the need to improve coordination with the police, supreme court, policy makers and non-government organisations is more pressing,” said Andi Murlina in her opening. South Sulawesi Province was among the first responding to the enactment of Law no. 21/2007, which refers to the Palermo Protocol 1999. In the same year, South Sulawesi issued Regional Regulation no. 9 regarding Prevention and Eradication of Trafficking of Women and Children. This province has already established a Task Force as a network for handling trafficking. However, this provincial- and district-based Task Force still needs to improve coordination and control mechanisms at the community level.
During the discussion, the participants also highlighted the importance of acknowledging cultural factors to prevent human trafficking in the future. The massompe traditions in Bugis and Makassar, where men and women leave home to look for better jobs and increase their income, have been continuing without adequate social networks. This leaves many of them more vulnerable and easy to be lured into the trap of human trafficking. In many cases, offenders are also people they know and to some extent trust as patrons. These people are often neighbours or peers who have successfully improved socioeconomic status.
"Social safety nets from such patrons are no longer functioning. The state needs to play a bigger role in preventing trafficking and not rely only on the regional offices to take action," said Lies Marcoes, one of the researchers.
