ID :
36511
Fri, 12/19/2008 - 17:03
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https://oananews.org//node/36511
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News Focus: PALESMO CONVENTION TO HELP FIGHT TRANSNATIONAL CRIMES
By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta, Dec. 18 (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives (DPR) at a plenary session on Wednesday passed a bill on the UN Convention against Transnational Crime, also known as the Palermo Convention.
The UN Convention is also called the Palermo Convention in an informal meeting on international convention against organized transnational crime held in Palermo, Italy, from April 6 to 8, 1997.
But the problem now is whether the bill will help Indonesia in fighting transnationl crimes which have been increasing.
Effendy Choirie, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives, and chairman of PKB (National Awakening Party) faction, said the government must prepare regulations for the implementation of the Palermo Convention.
The House plenam approved the bill after the spokesmen of all political party factions in the House in their final views expressed support to the government's proposal to ratify the convention.
He hoped that with this law, the government would be able to bring corruptors especially those involved in the BI Liquidity Support (BLBI) scandal, to justice.
More important, according to him, was that Indonesia would be able to capture those involved in transnational crime like human trafficking and smuggling.
It is in the context of transnational crime that Indonesia with its geographical condition sharing its territory in the north with Malaysia and in the south with Australia, is a source of traffickers, was often seen as having limited capability to fight transnational crime like human trafficking.
So many steps and cooperation have been taken by the government and neighboring countries, but human trafficking still continued, as apparent in reports on very young girls forced into prostitution, or into the two neighboring countries, and some other countries as well.
This country is made a place for transit as well as destination targeting the women and children as well as men for the purpose of sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Under these unfavorable circumstances, Indonesia is often regarded to have limited knowledge on how to deal with human trafficking.
Alan Boulton, ILO's representative in Indonesia, on Tuesday said people prone to human trafficking were those who have very little knowledge on how to protect themselves against this crime.
Boulton warned that Indonesian women and children have been traded in the country for sexual exploitation.
Despite the full support of the government and parliament, Boulton believed that Indonesia still has to step up efforts and allocation of funds in a bid to eradicate human trafficking at local and national level.
Proper facilities and counselling are not yet evenly available throughout the country, he said.
Therefore, Boulton urged the Indonesian government to increase its cooperation with the international community in fighting human trafficking.
More saddening was information of the International Organization of Migration (IMO) that that human trafficking had occurredin a number of provinces in Indonesia.
From March 2005 through October 2008, most of the cases occurred in West Kalimantan, where 709 people became victim of human trafficking.
IOM said that at least 2,432 Indonesians were traded in Malaysia.
In the meantime, Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalata said a rise in number of human trafficking or smuggling was due to a lack of jobs an unemployment.
Because of the limited jobs available, the people felt compelled to do whatever they could in order to get money including human trafficking and smuggling.
If job opportunities are widely available in Indonesia, the people especially youngsters will not be lured to go abroad for employment or become victims of human trafficking.
It was because of the wish for a job and good wages, many people especially women and young people became eager to get a job abroad, and thus certain parties had been capitalizing on this condition and resorted to human trafficking, the minister said.
The trafficker often enticed, persuaded and cheated their would be victims, Andi said, adding that human trafficking still prevailed because of high income prospects.
It is ironic that many Indonesian women working abroad like in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong faced humiliation and torture by their employers.
Based on 2006 reports from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), thousands of Indonesian children, mostly under 20, initially enticed by promises for a decent job and good wages, mostly end up as commercial sex workers every year.
According to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, the main reason of traffickers for committing the crime was large profits. In fact human trafficking was the third most profitable illegal business in the world, after illicit drugs and arms trade.
Furthermore, the minister said that technological advancement was also used by the traffickers to perpetuate their transnational operations.
The most important thing to note was that the Indonesian government was serious to combat this crime, as indicated in legal umbrellas laid down in Law No 23/2002 on the protection of children, and presidential instruction No 88/2002 on national action plan to eradicate women and children trafficking as well as the bill on the ratification of the UN Convention against Transnational Crime.
Jakarta, Dec. 18 (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives (DPR) at a plenary session on Wednesday passed a bill on the UN Convention against Transnational Crime, also known as the Palermo Convention.
The UN Convention is also called the Palermo Convention in an informal meeting on international convention against organized transnational crime held in Palermo, Italy, from April 6 to 8, 1997.
But the problem now is whether the bill will help Indonesia in fighting transnationl crimes which have been increasing.
Effendy Choirie, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives, and chairman of PKB (National Awakening Party) faction, said the government must prepare regulations for the implementation of the Palermo Convention.
The House plenam approved the bill after the spokesmen of all political party factions in the House in their final views expressed support to the government's proposal to ratify the convention.
He hoped that with this law, the government would be able to bring corruptors especially those involved in the BI Liquidity Support (BLBI) scandal, to justice.
More important, according to him, was that Indonesia would be able to capture those involved in transnational crime like human trafficking and smuggling.
It is in the context of transnational crime that Indonesia with its geographical condition sharing its territory in the north with Malaysia and in the south with Australia, is a source of traffickers, was often seen as having limited capability to fight transnational crime like human trafficking.
So many steps and cooperation have been taken by the government and neighboring countries, but human trafficking still continued, as apparent in reports on very young girls forced into prostitution, or into the two neighboring countries, and some other countries as well.
This country is made a place for transit as well as destination targeting the women and children as well as men for the purpose of sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Under these unfavorable circumstances, Indonesia is often regarded to have limited knowledge on how to deal with human trafficking.
Alan Boulton, ILO's representative in Indonesia, on Tuesday said people prone to human trafficking were those who have very little knowledge on how to protect themselves against this crime.
Boulton warned that Indonesian women and children have been traded in the country for sexual exploitation.
Despite the full support of the government and parliament, Boulton believed that Indonesia still has to step up efforts and allocation of funds in a bid to eradicate human trafficking at local and national level.
Proper facilities and counselling are not yet evenly available throughout the country, he said.
Therefore, Boulton urged the Indonesian government to increase its cooperation with the international community in fighting human trafficking.
More saddening was information of the International Organization of Migration (IMO) that that human trafficking had occurredin a number of provinces in Indonesia.
From March 2005 through October 2008, most of the cases occurred in West Kalimantan, where 709 people became victim of human trafficking.
IOM said that at least 2,432 Indonesians were traded in Malaysia.
In the meantime, Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalata said a rise in number of human trafficking or smuggling was due to a lack of jobs an unemployment.
Because of the limited jobs available, the people felt compelled to do whatever they could in order to get money including human trafficking and smuggling.
If job opportunities are widely available in Indonesia, the people especially youngsters will not be lured to go abroad for employment or become victims of human trafficking.
It was because of the wish for a job and good wages, many people especially women and young people became eager to get a job abroad, and thus certain parties had been capitalizing on this condition and resorted to human trafficking, the minister said.
The trafficker often enticed, persuaded and cheated their would be victims, Andi said, adding that human trafficking still prevailed because of high income prospects.
It is ironic that many Indonesian women working abroad like in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong faced humiliation and torture by their employers.
Based on 2006 reports from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), thousands of Indonesian children, mostly under 20, initially enticed by promises for a decent job and good wages, mostly end up as commercial sex workers every year.
According to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, the main reason of traffickers for committing the crime was large profits. In fact human trafficking was the third most profitable illegal business in the world, after illicit drugs and arms trade.
Furthermore, the minister said that technological advancement was also used by the traffickers to perpetuate their transnational operations.
The most important thing to note was that the Indonesian government was serious to combat this crime, as indicated in legal umbrellas laid down in Law No 23/2002 on the protection of children, and presidential instruction No 88/2002 on national action plan to eradicate women and children trafficking as well as the bill on the ratification of the UN Convention against Transnational Crime.
