Child Trafficking Involves People Around the Victim
Child trafficking often involves people close to the victim under the guise of helping them. Debt traps and extravagant income offers typically prelude this crime.
RA (16), a child victim who was trafficked via social media in Jakarta. Photo taken on February 25, 2023.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Kompas daily investigation team revealed a number of child trafficking practices that involve people close to them, such as boyfriends or girlfriends, friends, relatives and neighbors. These people typically play a role to lure the victims.
This method of child trafficking involving people close to the victim is often found in cases of child migrant workers who are employed abroad. SK (17), a girl from Nglegok, Blitar, East Java, became a victim and was trafficked to Malaysia when she was 14 years old in 2019. Meanwhile, EH (22), a resident of Tangerang, Bantan, was trafficked as a cross-border migrant worker when she was 17 years old.