Social media has become a new space for human trafficking.

The modus operandi remains the same: perpetrators target victims who are unable to afford education or work. Most of these victims are seeking employment. The use of social media has expanded the scope of human trafficking.

Migrant worker networks report that the number of victims has increased by 700% post-pandemic due to the widespread use of social media.

Erna Verawati and Erni Sarce, Victims in NTT

In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), from January to October 2025, there were 114 bodies of migrant workers repatriated.

The migrant worker organization, Migrant CARE, notes that this means every two days, there is a migrant worker’s body repatriated from abroad to NTT.

Social media, under the guise of recruitment, has now become a widespread new recruitment space. We met with some of the victims.

Erna Verawati Tenis (18), a woman born in Pollo, Amanuban, NTT, had just graduated from vocational high school (SMK).

Her dream was to go to college and become a teacher in her area. However, as the child of parents who are farmers in the village, she needed capital to achieve her dream.

It was at that moment that Erna met Maria Bana again, who offered her a job vacancy through Facebook (FB) in May 2025. Maria Bana promised her a high-paying but easy job. Erna was promised that she would be able to save money for her college tuition. Erna was not immediately told what the job was, she only knew that she would be employed in Batam.

“Is there anyone who wants to work?” Maria Bana asked Erna, starting the conversation in the FB inbox under the FB account name Ria Soe.

“What about you, Erna?” she continued.

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Erna mentioned she wanted to go to college. She didn’t immediately accept the job offer.

“Working in Batam pays well. It’s relaxed there. You’ll come back with money to pay for college,” Maria continued her persuasion.

Maria Bana continued to try to persuade Erna to accept the job she was offering. A week after first contacting her via Facebook, she called to offer and persuade Erna again . Finally, Erna replied, “If the salary is good, yes, I’ll take the risk and go.”

Although it was initially difficult for her parents to let Erna go, they eventually “trusted” her to leave. Besides the family connection, they also hoped that Erna could fulfil her dream of going to college after working.

Erna took care of obtaining her Identity Card (KTP) in Soe City, NTT, herself. After making an appointment via Facebook messages, Maria Bana came to pick up Erna at her house on June 17, 2025.

In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), for example, there is a modus operandi of using “kinship” as a way to lure victims into human trafficking. Nationally, it operates in a “separate and mobile” pattern, while internationally it has a “layered and disconnected” network pattern.

The danger of human trafficking lurks behind the devices we hold. It manifests itself in the form of very tempting job vacancies on social media. In fact, this job vacancy information is false, either deliberately spread for fraud (disinformation) or misinformation due to a lack of understanding (misinformation).

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Using the pretext of “kinship,” human traffickers in NTT, for example, make sweet promises such as high salaries, comfortable work, and improved livelihoods, which make young women in NTT victims.

Maria Bana then successfully obtained Erna’s parents’ blessing, and she even led a prayer for Erna’s departure.

After praying, Maria Bana took Erna to Kupang City by travel car at 3:00 p.m. WITA. They arrived in Kupang City at 7:00 p.m. WITA. All travel and operational costs were covered by Maria Bana.

In Kupang City, Erna stayed overnight at the residence of Maria Bana’s brother, Albinus Bana, in Naimata Village, NTT. At 3:30 a.m. WITA, the three of them rode on a motorcycle, with Erna in the middle, to El Tari Airport, NTT. Erna was scheduled to fly to Batam at 7:00 a.m. WITA, arriving there at 2:30 p.m. WITA.

Upon arriving in Batam, Erna was met by a man who was supposed to pick her up. Erna did not know this man; all she knew was that he was sent by an agency or labour recruiter.

They then took a travel vehicle to the office of a company whose name Erna did not know clearly. The company’s office did not look like a typical company office with a clearly displayed name and address. It was just like a normal house consisting of three rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. As Erna recalled, there were four workers in the office, consisting of three women and one man.

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Erna waited for about 15 minutes at the office. Then a man and a woman, whom she knew to be her prospective employers, arrived. The prospective employers, who were of Chinese descent, were in their 60s and 50s, respectively. It was during this meeting that Erna learned that the promise of a large salary made by Maria Bana was not true. Initially, she was told that she would earn more than Rp 3 million, but in reality, it was only about half that amount, or Rp 1.5 million.

While driving to their house, Erna was given instructions regarding her daily work. Her two employers had four children; three were abroad and the youngest lived with them. It was then that Erna found out that she was hired as a domestic worker. In addition, she also had to help with her employers’ business.

Every day, Erna had to work, waking up at 5:00 AM and often not being able to sleep until 10:00 PM. In other words, Erna worked up to 17 hours a day.

In addition to domestic work in the two-story house, she also had to help with packing work for her employer’s children’s dried shrimp and fish business. Not only was the salary inadequate, but the workload, which was initially promised to be “relaxed,” turned out to be exploitative.

Erna once protested to Maria Bana via a private message on Facebook: “From the start, you said it would be easy (work), but here we all suffer,” Erna wrote.

During her months working there, Erna faced verbal abuse when she made mistakes. For example, when she was criticized for not washing cooking utensils properly, she would immediately receive scolding, such as:

“Stupid”

“You only finished high school. It should only be explained once, not repeatedly”

“This isn’t the countryside, you know”

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Erna called her parents in the village when this happened. This was not easy for Erna, because at her parents’ house, such insults were never uttered. However, on the other end of the line, her parents tried to encourage her by saying, “Don’t dwell on it, because you yourself wanted to work there,” said Erna, imitating her parents’ words when they called her in the local Timorese language.  

One day, Erna called her parents again. Erna said she was sick. On July 27, 2025, Erna’s cousin, Yonal Tenis, who happened to be living in Batam, visited Erna at her employer’s house. Erna then went with Yonal.

“I have a gynaecological condition (vaginal discharge). So Dad and Mom asked Yonal to come visit me,” said Erna.

Erna’s employer, who had just found out about this, immediately called the PT (agency). Her employer asked the PT to come and pick up Erna and return her to their home. At this moment, Maria Bana also contacted Erna and threatened her to pay compensation for the money she had lost because she asked to go home. The amount of compensation demanded was around Rp 6 million.

PT then picked up Erna and took her to the PT office. It was then that a woman whom Erna called “Bunda” (Mother) punched Erna once on the left side of her neck and head with her fist. “Now you know your family,” said Erna, imitating what ‘Bunda’ said.

After the assault, Erna was taken to a hospital in Batam for treatment. For the next two days and two nights, Erna stayed at the company’s office. While there, Erna claimed she also received threats from “Bunda.”

“If your employer doesn’t come to pick you up, we’ll send you abroad. Let you know how it feels,” she threatened Erna.

Erna’s employer eventually came to pick her up. She then resumed her usual work activities as a domestic worker.

Yonas Tenis did not accept Erna being treated like that. On August 28, 2025, Yonal Tenis, together with the TPPO Task Force from Batam, picked up Erna to return to Kupang. Before her return, Erna was placed in a safe house (shelter) in Batam.

A week later, Erna flew from Batam to Kupang. Upon arriving in Kupang at 3:00 p.m. WITA, Erna was picked up by Dicky Faah and friends from Rumah Harapan GMIT (Gereja Masehi Injil di Timor).

Confirmed by Konde.co on Wednesday (12/11), Nafsiah Waang, representative of Rumah Harapan GMIT, confirmed Erna’s pickup. Erna is also known to have received assessment and counselling as a victim. Erna was then taken back to her home in South Amanuban, South Central Timor, NTT, according to local customs.

Director of General Crimes at the NTT Police Headquarters, Commissioner Patar Silalahi, confirmed that as a result of the false job vacancy information received by Erna, the NTT Police have now detained Maria Bana as the recruiter and PT SMS as the recruitment agency acting on behalf of Liana. They are currently being processed for investigation into human trafficking.

“The case involving Erna Verawati Tenis, who recruited Maria Bana through a Facebook account, has been detained. Based on the investigation conducted by the NTT Regional Police, the labor placement agency PT SMS from Batam, with the placement agent named Liana, is currently also being held at the NTT Regional Police for investigation purposes,” said Commissioner Patar Silalahi when met by Konde.co at the NTT Regional Police headquarters on Tuesday (11/18).

Patar Silalahi revealed that Erna’s TPPO case is being processed under Article 2 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning Criminal Acts of Trafficking in Persons (TPPO), which includes the elements of recruiting, persuading, seducing, and obtaining profits. The penalty is 3 to 15 years imprisonment with a minimum fine of Rp 120 million and a maximum of Rp 600 million.

In the past year, Patar Silalahi said he had handled two cases of human trafficking where the recruitment was carried out through fake job advertisements on social media. Meanwhile, across NTT, including all police stations and police headquarters, there were 21 suspected cases of human trafficking where the recruitment was carried out through direct agents.

“Typically, those who have worked abroad and returned to their hometowns are used as recruiters,” said Patar Silalahi.   

Similar to Erna, another young woman from NTT who also fell victim to human trafficking through a job posting on Facebook is Erni Sarce Nomleni (25).

Her enthusiasm for looking for job vacancies on Facebook never led her to believe that it would lead her into human trafficking. The promise of work in the capital city of Jakarta never materialized. Instead, she was almost sent to Malaysia.

At the time, Erni Sarce was a high school student living in Soe City, NTT. Her parents were farmers living in a village in South Central Timor Regency, NTT. She had been late in starting school, so at that time she was already 22 years old and did not have an ID card.

Around April 2023, she opened her Facebook page and found a job advertisement for “work in Jakarta.”

The prospect of working in a big city, she thought, could bring her “good fortune.” She then communicated with the perpetrator through Facebook Messenger. The perpetrator’s persuasive promises of a salary and an attractive job in Jakarta further enticed her.

“I was very interested in this job opening. This is what I’ve been looking for all along,” Erni told Konde.co on October 25, 2025.

Erni then followed the perpetrator’s instructions to complete the registration and submit the required documents. She sent everything through the perpetrator’s private messages on Facebook.

Together with one of her friends, Rendi Uskoro, Erni secretly left home. They took a travel van to Kupang City. The agent picked them up at midnight at 12:00 AM WITA and arrived in Kupang at 3:00 AM WITA.

Upon arriving in Kupang early in the morning, they stayed at Ellen’s mother’s house. Ellen was a friend of the agent who had been contacting Erni via Facebook. The next morning, Erni and Rendi were taken to a boarding house allegedly owned by the agent’s friend named Jony. Erni did not know the relationship between Ellen’s mother and Jony.

At that time, the agent claimed to be processing their ID cards. Therefore, until the ID card processing was completed, Erni and Rendi were asked to stay at Jony’s boarding house. They stayed there for about a month.

“Agent Jony forbade us from leaving the boarding house room; we weren’t allowed to go anywhere. So for that month, we just hid in the boarding house room,” said Erni.

Until the ID card process was completed, they stayed for another week in Kupang City before being sent to Jakarta. On the day of departure, Erni was not only with Rendi, but also with two other people named Eci and Aunt Wati, who were from Amfoang, Kupang Regency. They departed from Kupang to Jakarta.

Upon arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the afternoon, the four of them were taken to a place called a “hotel.” But strangely, the place called a hotel was pitch black. There were no people passing by there, except for the four of them and another person called an agent. The four of them stayed overnight on the second floor of the building.

“It was called a hotel, but it was dark and there was no activity as you would normally see in a hotel,” said Erni in her Timorese accent.

Shortly after, someone called an agent brought them food. The four of them ate and were told not to make any noise. After eating, they were ordered to sleep because they still had to move to another place the next morning.

The promise of working in Jakarta began to seem suspicious because it turned out they were taken to Soekarno-Hatta Airport heading to Surabaya. They were also asked to wear masks and jackets distributed by the agent. They were forbidden from speaking or making loud noises.

After arriving in Surabaya, they were picked up by car and taken to the port. They were transported by ship, which turned out to be bound for Batam. Erni cannot remember the name of the port or the ship she was on. Upon arriving in Batam, they were taken to a shelter that was, once again, pitch black. They were told to eat and go to sleep quickly.

In Batam, the agent gave them two cell phones, which were held by Rendi and Eci. Erni didn’t get much information at the time; she only knew that they would be sent to Malaysia.

Erni felt increasingly uneasy. The promise of a job in Jakarta had instead led her to move from city to city, and now she was even being sent to Malaysia. The job posting on Facebook that she had applied for was supposed to be in Jakarta.

She grew increasingly anxious and filled with suspicion. On the night before her early morning departure to Malaysia, she decided to secretly call her uncle, Metusalak Selan.

On the other end of the line, her uncle asked Erni to calm down and share her location.

“Tomorrow morning, an officer will come to pick you up,” said Erni’s uncle, who happened to be an administrator for KABAR BUMI, an organization related to migrant workers.

In the early hours of the morning, the door to the place where the four of them were staying was already open. The agent who had been accompanying them was gone. Erni suspected that the agent knew that the police had known of their whereabouts . Shortly thereafter, the police and officials came to pick them up and took them to the nearest police station in Batam.

The four of them underwent counseling in Batam for a month. Finally, they were sent back to Kupang, NTT. Sister Laurensia Suharsih, a nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence, helped them return to their hometown to meet their parents. In addition to helping victims of human trafficking such as Erni and her friends, Sister Laurensia has also been involved for many years in the service of picking up the bodies of migrant workers who have returned in coffins from abroad at the El Tari Airport Cargo Terminal in Kupang.

Contacted separately, Metusalak Selan, who is the Chairman of the DPD Kabar Bumi in the South Central East Regency/TTS, confirmed what his relative Erni had experienced, namely job scams through Facebook.

At that time, Metusalak admitted that he immediately contacted Karsiwen, Chair of the KABAR BUMI Central Executive Board. They then contacted their networks in Medan, Batam, and the Sisterhood Cargo Humanitarian Volunteer Network.

“Finally, the sisters in Batam contacted the police, and at 4:00 a.m., a raid and arrest were conducted at the shelter where Erni and her friends were being held before being sent to Malaysia,” he said when contacted in late October.

It was confirmed that the disinformation case regarding the locker occurred in 2023 and has been processed legally as human trafficking.

M, Victim in Makassar

Fraud via social media also occurred in Makassar. A woman, M (49), a resident of Pinrang, South Sulawesi Province, became a victim of overseas job vacancy fraud through Facebook. The incident, which occurred in 2018, caused trauma.

M first learned about the job offer in Malaysia from a post that appeared on her Facebook homepage. Needing a job, she contacted the number listed without suspicion, then continued intensive communication via messages and phone calls with the person she met through social media.

“I got information about the job in Malaysia through Facebook. I saw it on my news feed, then I messaged the contact listed there. From there, they said they would handle all my paperwork,” she said.

Coming from a low-income family, M admitted she was tempted by the promise of a high salary. She felt the offer could be a way to bring happiness to her family.

“I come from a poor family, and I wanted to make my family happy, so I accepted the offer because the salary was quite high,” she said.

After that, M went to Malaysia. The reality she faced was very different from what was promised. She was placed in an unsuitable job, forced to work hard, and even went without pay for two months.

“When I arrived there, it turned out that the work was not suitable. I was not paid for two months, I worked like a horse. Sometimes I didn’t eat for a whole day,” said M.

In a desperate situation, she finally contacted her family members who had been working in Malaysia for a long time to ask for help. She was secretly picked up in front of her employer’s house and then sent back to her hometown.

“At that time, I ran away, and my family in the village brought me back,” she recalled.

The ordeal left M with deep psychological scars. She admitted she refused to leave the house for nearly a year due to trauma and no longer wanted to interact on social media.

“Even now, I am still very traumatized by the incident, to the point that I didn’t want to go anywhere for almost a year. The incident still haunts me. After that, I rarely opened social media,” she said.

M’s story is a real portrait of the rampant practice of overseas job scams through social media. Migrant worker observer Firman Hermanda explained that the root of the problem, which has rarely been highlighted, is that invitations from people close to the victim and enticements on social media are the two most common ways that residents, especially in rural areas of South Sulawesi, become victims of TPPO.

Firman explained that in South Sulawesi, the recruitment pattern for human trafficking almost always begins within the victim’s immediate circle—family, relatives, and neighbors.

“In South Sulawesi, the average migrant worker bound for Malaysia is recruited by their own family. It starts with the family, then spreads to acquaintances,” he said.

Many residents are aware that the route offered is illegal. However, economic pressures force them to take the risk. Moreover, the administrative process, which takes months, makes residents reluctant to wait, so they choose to arrange their documents and passports through brokers.

“People already have debts, need to eat, and cannot afford to wait for months for administrative procedures. In such circumstances, the promises made by family members feel more real than official procedures,” said Firman.

He added that some victims go through the departure process solely because they believe the success stories of relatives who have worked abroad.

“Narratives like ‘Malaysia is nice, the salary is high’ are very influential. But they don’t know that it’s part of a network,” he said.

In addition to family persuasion, social media penetration has exacerbated the situation. Firman mentioned social media platforms like Facebook as one of the platforms often used by recruiters to post fake job advertisements.

“Many people, especially in rural areas, see ads for ‘official departures to Saudi Arabia’ or other countries. They get interested and immediately contact the number listed,” he explained.

According to him, the two most vulnerable groups are those who are not tech-savvy and those who are tech-savvy but still go because they are desperate.

“Even those who understand IT are still deceived by the lure of high salaries. The information on social media is becoming more sophisticated in deceiving people,” he added.

Firman believes that the issue of human trafficking is not only about recruitment methods but also about the slow administrative process for migrant workers. Procedures that take up to six months, including training, are the reason people choose non-procedural routes.

“Bare essentials issues can’t wait for months,” he said succinctly.

So far, awareness campaigns have also been deemed severely lacking, especially in rural areas. The lack of understanding leaves prospective migrant workers unaware of which companies are legitimate and which are not.

“Socialization must reach the neighborhood association (RT) level. So far, it has been very lacking at the grassroots level,” he said.

In addition to social factors, Firman highlighted weaknesses at border checkpoints (PLBN), particularly the route connecting Kalimantan with Sarawak–Malaysia. He suspects there are many individuals involved in illegal activities on the ground.

“There are people entering without passports, and there are also passports made in Kalimantan, even though the people are from South Sulawesi. This is not a new case, it is an old case, I have encountered it before,” he said.

According to him, if border checkpoints are lax, human trafficking will continue to occur. “The key is at the border. If the border is lax, they will definitely slip through,” he emphasized.

He stated that this network is a structured and massive operation that operates from villages to across national borders. They are interconnected networks that recruit women as victims.

“There are bosses, there are recruiters. The system is clear: who takes how many people, and how much money they get. It’s structured, massive, systematic,” Firman emphasized.

Despite the complexity of the issue, Firman believes that TPPO can be reduced if the government is truly serious. There are three main steps that must be taken to reduce TPPO rates: expediting migrant administration, expanding awareness campaigns down to the neighborhood association (RT) level, and tightening border and immigration controls.

“If these three things are done, I am confident there will be significant changes,” he concluded.

Data from the South Sulawesi Regional Police as of November 2024 recorded 36 police reports with 39 suspects and 59 victims. Most recently, based on data from Operation Pekat Lipu 2025, 49 suspects of TPPO were revealed between May 3 and 20, 2025.

Nely and Febi, Female Victims in Lombok

Nely (20), not her real name, a young woman from Labuapi District, West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province (NTB), did not expect to be lured by the sweet promise of a high-paying job that made her one of the victims of human trafficking.

She initially wanted to go to Japan to help her family’s economy. She also hoped to change her fate in the land of cherry blossoms.

“I was promised a job at a garment factory in Japan with a salary of 20 million per month,” she said in a weary tone when confirmed on Tuesday (11/18/2025).

At the time, Nely was browsing social media and saw an advertisement from a Skills Training Institute (LPK) in Mataram. Starting from the LPK’s advertisements on Facebook and Instagram with the branding that she could immediately leave for Japan, Nely was tempted.

The ad was prominently displayed on her feed, as Nely was an active social media user. Combined with the viral hashtag #kaburajadulu, Nely became even more eager to migrate abroad. Her goal was to improve her life with a two-digit salary. She felt that working in Lombok had stalled her career, making it difficult to get promoted or receive a raise.

The Job Training Center (LPK) located in Ampenan, Mataram City, deliberately spread the advertisement widely so that more young people in NTB would know about it. Nely and other young people were promised Japanese language training and basic skills before being sent to Japan.

“We were asked to pay an advance of Rp. 25 million in August 2023 for training and administrative costs in the recruitment process for work in Japan,” Nely explained.

With a heavy heart, Nely and her family gathered the money, despite their limited income. They hoped that by working in Japan, they could help their family’s economy, which is currently lower-middle class.

The LPK asked Nely to make her own passport. This was because the cost would be higher if the LPK took care of the passport documents. Nely went to the Immigration office, where she was forced to lie that she was visiting family in Singapore so that the officer would not be suspicious. Thanks to her good acting, Nely’s passport application went smoothly.

“I had to lie to get my passport and avoid being questioned by the Immigration Office,” said Nely.

However, her hopes of working in Japan faded over time. After months of training, the promised departure never materialized. The LPK always gave vague reasons and seemed to be stalling for time.

“We began to suspect something was wrong. We tried to find out about the LPK, and it turned out that there were many other victims who had suffered a similar fate,” said Nely angrily.

She tried to ask for her money back, but the LPK always denied it with a thousand excuses.

Febi (19), not her real name, experienced the same thing. She was interested in enrolling in a private school because there was an advertisement on social media saying that graduates of the school would be able to go to Japan immediately.

Based on that information, Febi continued to seek information about workers who had succeeded in Japan, earning double-digit salaries and being able to immediately obtain a Hajj quota from there. Febi then asked her parents to enroll her in the school. With good grades, she was accepted.

From the moment she enrolled at one of the vocational schools in Mataram City, the school principal had already promised her a trip to Japan.

“I enrolled in that school because of the talk and branding that you could go straight to Japan after graduating,” said Febi when confirmed on Tuesday (11/19/2025). Febi was promised a job at a hospital if she succeeded in going to Japan. She has been trying to learn Japanese. In fact, there are Japanese language lessons that Febi attends every week.

“The deposit fee is quite expensive; I paid 30 million rupiah to secure a spot to work in Japan,” she said.

However, the school kept making promises, and Febi never ended up going to Japan after graduating from vocational high school in mid-2023 with satisfactory grades. She was then directed to attend training at LPK Wahyu Yuha in Ampenan, Mataram City. She was also asked to obtain her own passport. Eventually, Febi met some friends at the LPK who were also still waiting to depart for Japan.

It turned out Febi wasn’t alone; what she was experiencing was also being felt by her friends who had been recruited by two individuals, numbering in the dozens.

“At the LPK, there is a special room like a dormitory where five women stay together. We study together there. There is also a study room that accommodates dozens of people,” said Febi.

Since they hadn’t departed for Japan yet, Febi’s friends started to get restless. Some started venting their frustrations here and there, including on social media. Several victims eventually caused a stir on social media, demanding their money back. The victims then brought their concerns to a hearing at the West Lombok Regional Parliament. The concerns of Nely, Febi, and 17 others were brought to the West Nusa Tenggara Police Headquarters to be reported. They brought evidence and demanded that the relevant parties return their money.

In November 2024, the police stated that one of the perpetrators was the principal of a private vocational high school (SMK), with the initials WS alias IW, who now faces legal charges for alleged human trafficking. Together with his partner, a man with the initials SE alias E, WS is suspected of being involved in the non-procedural recruitment of Indonesian migrant workers (CPMI) for Japan.

The arrest of the two suspects was carried out by a team from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate (Ditreskrimum) of the NTB Regional Police. The Head of Sub-Directorate IV of Ditreskrimum Polda NTB, AKP Endro Yudi Sasmoko, when met on Tuesday (11/18/2025), said that this case was uncovered after Ditreskrimum Polda NTB received a report about recruitment practices involving the Wahyu Yuha Skills Training Institute (LPK), which has its office in the Ampenan area, Mataram City. Based on the report, the NTB Regional Police conducted further investigations to confirm the alleged non-procedural recruitment targeting CPMI for deployment to Japan.

From the results of the investigation, the NTB Regional Police Criminal Investigation Unit found strong indications that the recruitment activities carried out by LPK Wahyu Yuha did not comply with legal procedures and involved elements of law violations. These findings prompted the NTB Regional Police Criminal Investigation Unit to escalate the case to an investigation in mid-November 2024.

“The profits obtained by the two suspects during the recruitment period from December 2023 to June 2024 were derived from 28 victims.

There are also PT RSEI accreditation certificates, the profile of LPK Wahyu Yuha, the deed of establishment of the institution and company, a cooperation agreement letter, 11 registration fee receipts from the victims, 30 savings books, and one computer unit.

Suspects WS and SE are suspected of recruiting CPMI without official procedures, endangering the safety of prospective migrant workers and violating applicable Indonesian laws. According to him, these two institutions did not have official Sending Organization (SO) documents to recruit workers abroad. He added that from the development of the case, it was known that LPK collaborated with LPK in Subang, West Java, which had SO documents, but the SO was not valid outside the province of licensing.

Based on data, the trend in the number of TPPO cases involving disinformation and misinformation through social media at the NTB Regional Police Headquarters from 2024 to 2025 reached 17 cases. The destination countries are Japan, Australia, China, Korea, Poland, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Singapore.

These illegal practices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and shifting from conventional recruitment to digital platforms.

“The methods are becoming more sophisticated, and through social media,” he said.

“Now they use online ads, offering salaries of up to $1,200,” he said, citing an example of the false promises spread by perpetrators.

Yan Mangandar Putra, a public lawyer from the Mangandar Legal Aid Institute (LBHM) of the Alliance Against Trafficking in Women and Children (AMPEKA), has helped victims identify two main patterns in the non-procedural deployment of workers who ultimately become victims of TPPO in NTB. Male victims from Lombok are often sent to Malaysia via Riau and Batam. There are also routes to Japan and Korea. Most of these male victims end up working in plantations and factories. They are not provided with official documents when they are sent abroad.

Female victims are generally directed to countries in the Middle East. They experience fraud that promises official work . In addition, there are also placements as elderly care workers, hospital administrators, and factory workers.

“For these women, there are indications of fraud leading to the non-procedural dispatch of migrant workers to the Middle East,” Yan said when met on Tuesday (11/18/2025).

Yan said that what is more worrying now is that the targets of TPPO are no longer limited to people with low levels of education. Perpetrators are now targeting a new segment: college graduates and young professionals who are tech-savvy. Meanwhile, Yan added that data on TPPO facilitated by technology and social media is like an iceberg, where only a fraction of the actual cases are reported, but the victims have yet to report them.

“Perpetrators are now targeting educated and tech-savvy generations with attractive social media content accompanied by videos using artificial intelligence. Especially with the lifestyle of the current generation, the number of TPPO victims will certainly continue to grow,” said Yan.

The head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Legal Aid Center (PBH-BMI) representative in NTB, Muhammad Saleh, when met on Tuesday (11/18/2025) evening, said that TPPO is not just a violation of the law, but a humanitarian tragedy that robs people of their future.

“Imagine the tears of families on the brink of losing their children, dreams nearly stolen by ruthless syndicates constantly lurking for opportunities,” he said.

Saleh emphasized the importance of parental vigilance, collaboration among law enforcement agencies, and public awareness as the frontline defense in protecting the younger generation from the clutches of TPPO.

“Every week, I visit schools and universities to educate the younger generation about human trafficking,” Saleh said.

He added, “The modus operandi of the perpetrators is becoming more sophisticated, recruiting women as brokers or sponsors at the village level.”

Data from the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children (SIMFONI PPA) shows that from 2021 to June 2025, there were 2,377 victims of TPPO. Ironically, the majority of victims were women and children. Saleh believes that this figure is only the tip of the iceberg, as many cases of TPPO go undetected.

TPPO has transformed into a transnational crime with increasingly complex methods. It not only targets vulnerable groups, such as women, children, and people with low levels of education, but also reaches educated people through digital fraud.

“They are trapped in fictitious job offers, online scams, and promises of instant income,” he said.

Furthermore, Saleh explained that TPPO now encompasses various forms of exploitation, ranging from labor and sexual exploitation, illegal adoption, to cybercrime. To make matters worse, Saleh continued, the misuse of social media and the internet has also become a serious problem, as perpetrators use these platforms to spread false information, recruit victims, and hide their tracks. As a member of the NTB TPPO Task Force, he hopes that the Government of West Nusa Tenggara ( ) and the police will reflect, evaluate, and collaborate more diligently in combating TPPO.

“This crime not only destroys the future of individuals, but also threatens the social and humanitarian foundations of human rights,” said Saleh.

The Rise of TPPO Schemes Using Social Media

The cases of Erna and Erni are just a few examples of human trafficking cases involving women from NTT using fake job postings on social media.

The similarity between the two cases, apart from both victims being women, is the modus operandi used, such as the lure of high salaries and “comfortable” jobs. In reality, the promises offered were false information deliberately used to deceive (disinformation).

Social media as a medium for spreading disinformation in human trafficking can be the main tool in Erni’s case, but also a tool for amplification (continuation) after kinship approaches in Erna’s case. In Erna’s case, we can see that, as a woman, she was clearly faced with gender bias. For example, the jobs offered were related to gender stereotypes of care work (domestic workers) and women being burdened as the “guardians of morality” of the family.

Armayanti Sanusi, Chair of the National Executive Board of Solidaritas Perempuan, provided notes from her organization’s experience in assisting TPPO cases. Solidaritas Perempuan’s case data shows that 39% of the 46 cases handled in 2024 were trafficking (TPPO) cases.

She explained the cultural context in NTT. Women in NTT, for example, experience power relations practiced through the culture of belis (dowry), also known as ‘uang pinang sirih’ (betel nut money). As a result, many women are forced to work, including abroad, to pay off the expensive “belis debt.”

Not only that, the single narrative of fundamentalism is also at the root of the problem in NTT, with many women entering into broker/agent syndicates in recruitment schemes. The “kinship” and “spiritual” modes can then become gateways to lure victims through social media.

“They (the women) are employed for the purpose of exploitation,” Armayanti told Konde.co on Friday (14/11).   

The situation is not much different for women victims of TPPO in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTB) region. Women can also be lured by brokers to work abroad, so that they fall into debt traps and are forced to work abroad as female migrant workers through non-procedural channels.

Trisna Dwi Yuni Aresta, Coordinator of knowledge management, data, and publications at Migrant CARE, stated that recruiters do this because access to visas and passports is limited and far away, so recruiters take advantage of this as paid “assistance.” The second reason is through cultural or family channels. There is a saying or myth that if you don’t work abroad, you are considered unsuccessful.

“Therefore, going abroad becomes an aspiration. On average, they work as domestic workers and ship crew members.”

It is not only class inequality that makes women vulnerable to TPPO. Armayanti also sees structural issues of poverty among women in many regions, including NTT and NTB. This is mainly related to environmental destruction and livelihoods in the name of development (patriarchy).

This is why, according to her, the feminization of migration in relation to TPPO is becoming increasingly prevalent. Patriarchal development through an extractive approach not only impacts environmental destruction but has also created layered conditions for women and indigenous communities.

“We can see the impact of National Strategic Projects (PSN) such as the geothermal climate project in Poco Leok, NTT, which not only threatens the cultural identity and local wisdom of indigenous peoples, but has also created systemic poverty,” explained Armayanti.  

The sad fact, according to her, is that as a result of these dirty energy projects, communities have also lost their agricultural land. Not to mention experiencing floods and crop failures due to environmental degradation caused by the exploitation of natural resources.

Data from the end-of-year solidarity report shows that more than 17,000 people in 105 villages have experienced poverty due to the development of National Strategic Projects (PSN) or non-PSN projects.

“Women have to survive by digging up poisonous tubers to meet their families’ food needs,” she added.

Amidst structural poverty, women are faced with the difficult situation of surviving and even becoming the “breadwinner” of the family. At the same time, they continue to be the hope for “maintaining the morals” of a gender-biased family.

In such difficult circumstances, the tempting job offers that appear on mobile phone screens seem like a breath of fresh air. This is where digitalization and TPPO are closely linked. Inevitably, recruitment methods through social media such as Facebook have emerged.

Solidaritas Perempuan’s experience in handling TPPO cases in Myanmar and Cambodia shows that most of them obtained job information from social media. The modus operandi is that TPPO perpetrators spread disinformation, offering jobs as hotel/restaurant employees in Thailand with high salaries. However, there is no clear contract or employment agreement.

“Upon arrival in Thailand, they are instead taken to the border area between Thailand and Myanmar. Once there, they are employed as online scammers,” said Armayanti.

They work under heavy pressure, intimidation, physical and psychological violence, and discriminatory salary deductions. She continued, “This includes when the company no longer wants to use their services, they will be sold to other companies in Cambodia.”

Hariyanto Suwarno, Chairman of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI), who has also assisted victims of TPPO in NTT, added that recruitment via social media has become more widespread after the Covid-19 pandemic, when digital technology reached rural areas.

According to him, there is a difference in the characteristics of TPPO victims recruited through social media. Even though they live in villages, many of them are educated, at least to the high school level.   

“Even educated people are vulnerable to becoming victims these days, at least they can access social media,” Hariyanto told Konde.co on November 12, 2025.

Despite the context of NTT, Hariyanto’s observation highlights the strong influence of kinship factors in its culture.

“So, they look to their parents, they look to their siblings. This is clear evidence that cultural migration is still strong there (in NTT).”

In relation to TPPO, there is also the term “uang pinang sirih” (betel nut money), which poses a dilemma in efforts to prevent and handle female victims of TPPO. This is because it can be used as a threat when victims report to the police or simply protest about their work.

“When talking about human trafficking, we inevitably have to talk about the legal context, so that is one of the ways (betel nut money) to recruit people to work abroad and be exploited.  The fact is that this is not justified and is not allowed,” he said.  

Various patterns of human trafficking via social media that he has encountered include fake job advertisements that are deliberately spread (disinformation) and can originate from social media accessed directly by victims. Some examples of fake job advertisements commonly found on Facebook include:

Another modus operandi is the use of social media as a means of “follow-up communication” under the pretext of kinship, even involving official Job Training Institutions (LPK).

Meanwhile, Hariyanto continued, he had also encountered the spread of misinformation due to a lack of understanding, which usually occurred from Indonesian citizens working abroad who posted on social media. One example that occurred among his members who worked as migrant workers in Taiwan was when they shared job vacancy information for domestic workers on social media. After further investigation, it turned out that they did not understand that it was misinformation.

“Their response were, ‘Oh, I didn’t know it was fake. But my intention was to help our friends who haven’t had the opportunity to go abroad,’” he said.

Eko Juniarto, founder of the Indonesian Anti-Slander Society (Mafindo), stated that misinformation and disinformation that ensnare people like this will always occur because technology is a new space, so perpetrators in any case will use technology as a new space to exploit victims.

“Perpetrators use old methods, but in new spaces like technology,” said Eko Juniarto to Konde.co on November 13, 2025.

Goverment and Police Version of TPPO Networks on Social Media

According to statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 2020 to March 2024, at least 3,703 Indonesian citizens (WNI) were victims of online scamming crimes. Of that total, about 40 percent were identified as victims of TPPO.

Sub-Directorate III of the Criminal Investigation Unit for Women and Children (Dittipid PPA and PPO) of the Indonesian National Police, which handles TPPO cases in Indonesia, Kombes Pol. Amingga Meilana Primastito said that TPPO with a recruitment pattern through social media is mostly in the form of job offers. The majority of these job offers are for customer service (CS) positions in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. However, the lure of attractive salaries often ends up not matching the promises (false information/misinformation). This is because victims of TPPO are actually employed as scammers.  

“From that modus operandi, they are then shifted to become scammers,” Amingga told Konde.co on Tuesday (11/18).

According to the police, many TPPO cases are carried out through human smuggling. The victims depart without going through the proper immigration procedures. The modus operandi can range from “kinship” to victims looking for job vacancies on social media.

“This is often used by our brothers and sisters from NTT with the destination of Malaysia. NTT is the same as other regions; it starts with someone close who has worked or is currently working abroad, or those who are looking for work abroad through job vacancy sites on social media,” he said.

Data on online human trafficking scams according to the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) and Regional Police (Polda) for the period 2023-2025 is as follows:

Based on Bareskrim’s investigation, Amingga stated that once TPPO victims (Indonesian citizens) are trapped as online scammers abroad, many of them become stuck in a “vicious cycle.” If a victim wants to escape from TPPO, they must recruit other victims.

With a work system that exerts physical, mental, and financial pressure, many of these perpetrators end up recruiting their closest relatives in Indonesia.

In other words, as Amingga explains, the TPPO perpetrators who recruit through social media were once victims themselves.

Amingga claims that Facebook has been the most widely used platform for recruiting people for these fake job openings. Many claim to be customer service representatives with high salaries, when in fact they are scammers. Others openly offer online gambling jobs, but the disinformation usually concerns the work system and environment, which do not match the promises made.  

Based on the testimony that victims have given to the police, TPPO perpetrators who use online scammers on social media usually present themselves in a more attractive way. For example, they promise jobs as customer service representatives with salaries of up to USD 1,000 per month. However, once the victims arrive, they are charged with “fines” or “debts” and are forced to recruit more victims so they can return home.

Amingga mentioned that the modus operandi of TPPO through social media, where “perpetrators recruit victims to become perpetrators” in online scamming, is only at the lowest/fifth tier.

In international TPPO syndicates, he mapped out five tiers of TPPO targeting victims, including women in Indonesia and across national borders. The fifth tier consists of scammers (Indonesian citizens abroad) who directly recruit victims in Indonesia, the fourth tier consists of scammer coordinators ( Indonesian citizens abroad), and the third tier consists of management/company heads of online scamming companies.

So far, these three layers are the ones that can be penetrated and caught by the Indonesian police. Meanwhile, layers 2 and 1, commonly referred to as the “Big Boss,” are foreign nationals who are difficult to track down. According to him, the difficulty in penetrating layers 2 and 1 of transnational online TPPO scammers is due to intertwined obstacles.

In general, this is because the network operates online with a “layered and disconnected” system. By layered, it means that they work at each level (5, 4, 3, 2, 1), while disconnected means that the lower levels are “deliberately disconnected” and only know about the level above them.

To illustrate how it works, the tier 5 scammer network will recruit potential victims through job advertisements on social media (mainly on Facebook). Victims who show interest will be contacted via private message (Inbox). Some victims are then instructed to join social media groups (such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Yahoo Messenger, etc.).

This scammer network deliberately obscures its digital traces and even eliminates digital evidence. They do this by “opening and deleting” the online sites they use. They also usually use different social media administrators and move around frequently.

At the fourth tier of scammers, as coordinators, they follow up on the recruitment of the fifth tier. In the context of TPPO sent abroad, they also supervise and coordinate with the recruiting scammers.

Based on the investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Unit, tier 3 scammers may be fellow Indonesian citizens abroad with management positions. However, it is also possible that these positions are filled by foreign nationals.

“Of the five tiers, we can arrest the fourth and fifth tiers, who are the recruiters and coordinators. As for the foreign ones (1 and 2), we cannot (it is difficult). However, there are two cases where we were able to catch the third tier. This is because the third tier consists of our people, Indonesians. They are above the leaders (scammer coordinators), like the HRD department,” he said.

On one hand, the online recruitment scam system that “sacrifices” friends or relatives is also not easy to unravel. This is because the victims and perpetrators can “protect” each other because they have family/friendship ties. This psychological game of “closeness” makes the investigation even more difficult.

“Sometimes the victims don’t tell the truth because they involve people close to them. The perpetrators are people close to them: childhood friends, neighbors, and even relatives. So there is a phenomenon of feeling ‘wow, you betrayed me’,” he said.

Meanwhile, the “Small Fish” perpetrators, who are involved in tiers 5, 4, and 3, have been caught. The “Big Fish” perpetrators, who are the masterminds and enjoy the biggest profits from online human trafficking scams, cannot be detected.

With the power they wield, the “Big Bosses” in tiers 2 and 1 have been able to move freely across countries. They can also use their power to collude with individuals who facilitate their crimes. All their operations are closed and organized.

Amingga said that there is currently a trend of shifting the countries that serve as the operational bases for these  online scamming ‘Big Bosses’. While they used to be based in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar, now that these countries have become the focus of attention, there are indications that they are moving.  

“After being targeted, this pattern of shifting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is happening again,” he added.

Suratmi Hamida, Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Service Office (BP3MI) in NTT, explained a similar situation regarding victims of international human trafficking, including those recruited through social media operating in NTT. There is a pattern resembling Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), where victims are required to recruit others to work under a scheme that does not follow proper procedures.

“The countries we know to be destinations are Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong,” said Suratmi when contacted by Konde.co at the end of October 2025.

The departure routes for prospective migrant workers mapped by BP3MI can generally be reached by air or sea. By air, there are three main airports in NTT that are directly connected to flights from outside NTT. These include El Tari Airport in Kupang, Lede Kalumbang Tambolaka Airport, and Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo.

As for sea routes, almost all ports in NTT have direct access to outside the region. However, there are several ports that receive special attention, namely Tenau Port in Kupang, Lewoleba Port, Larantuka Port, Maumere Port, Waingapu Port, and Labuan Bajo Port.

She added that after successfully exiting the NTT region, the routes commonly used to travel abroad are via Denpasar, Surabaya, or Jakarta with international flights. This can also be done through seaports bordering the Malacca Strait, such as Kuala Tanjung Port, Belawan Port, Dumai Port, Tanjung Balai Asahan Port, Tanjung Pinang (Bintan) Port, and ports in Batam.

In addition, there is also a land route through the Indonesia-Malaysia border in Kalimantan, where some non-procedural migrant workers are known to enter through illegal routes around North Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.

“In the last two years, there have been numerous cases of illegal recruitment of CPMI/PMI (prospective migrant workers/migrant workers) to work for online scam companies and online gambling in Cambodia and Myanmar, where two NTT residents have been recorded as victims. However, the highest number of recruitment cases among the NTT community is still dominated by jobs as domestic workers abroad,” she said.

Suratmi explained that in recent years, the pattern of TPPO recruitment through social media has begun to shift. Now, victims also come from highly educated backgrounds, including university graduates.

“This happens to both women and men who are recruited to work for online scamming and gambling companies abroad.”

Then, what about TPPO using fake job vacancies on social media that occur domestically? According to the police, Amingga from Bareskrim said that the pattern is different from international networks. They are said to have their “own” patterns. So, the perpetrators of TPPO are usually small networks consisting of individuals as recruiters, placement agencies, and employers.

Police Only Act as Task Force, Despite Rampant Cases Trapping Women

Activists have questioned the police’s statements and data. All this time, the police have been aware of human trafficking networks and their data, but have turned a blind eye.

The police are also considered to receive a lot of praise when they arrest TPPO perpetrators, when in fact the police’s duties are not limited to that.

The police actually have a duty that has been minimally carried out, namely as the coordinator of the TPPO task force. The work of the task force coordinator includes coordinating prevention efforts, victim protection, and prosecution of TPPO cases with various state institutions such as ministries, government agencies, the police, and social institutions. However, what happens is that the police only arrest the perpetrators and record their details, but allow recruitment on social media, which leads to TPPO, to continue.

Migrant CARE gives an example of how recruitment through social media has become rampant after the pandemic. For example, on Facebook, there is a group called “Work in Cambodia” which in practice is involved in TPPO.

Recruiters and labor recruitment companies freely engage in TPPO through Facebook because on this platform, perpetrators can create groups and communicate with potential victims. However, the police have allowed this to continue, even though, according to Trisna Dwi Yuni Aresta, the police should coordinate with the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) to address this issue.

“The police should be able to coordinate with Komdigi and do something about this massive recruitment through social media, but in reality, it is becoming more widespread and is being ignored,” said Trisna Dwi Ayuni to Konde.co, November 26, 2025.

Data from Migrant CARE indicates that 90% of migrant worker recruitment conducted post-pandemic targets young people aged 18-30, who are active social media users. Recruiters who once met in person now deceive them more quickly using social media. They also swiftly connect with village officials and government officials abroad.

“They can contact village officials for recruitment, and these officials receive a share of the money. One person who successfully recruits can earn between Rp. 1-5 million. These cooperating brokers will take care of everything, such as visas, passports, etc., with the help of village officials. Visas and passports can also be justified for umrah, when in fact these brokers are committing TPPO.”

This TPPO scheme has been ongoing for a long time, but the police and government have consistently failed to dismantle the network.

Another problem with state officials is that the judicial system does not guarantee the rights of victims. Based on the handling of cases by Solidaritas Perempuan, from 2022 to 2024, 72.7% of TPPO victims chose non-litigation channels to resolve their cases.

Armayanti Sanusi from SP said that this was due to the judicial system in Indonesia, which takes a long time to resolve cases and cannot guarantee the rights of victims. In addition, the perspective of law enforcement is still gender biased, which is detrimental to female victims of TPPO, including those recruited through social media.

“Women victims of TPPO still often experience stigma and double victimization. In addition, the patriarchal structure in society is still strong. Women victims are often stigmatized and do not have a safe environment when they experience various cases while working abroad,” explained Armayanti.   

The reality of the weak criminal justice system and the negligence of law enforcement officials was also revealed in the 2025 SBMI Report on “The Voice of Victims and Supporters in TPPO Cases.” Injustice against victims of TPPO, including women recruited through social media, occurs in various ways. From stalled investigations and inquiries, to restitution that is never provided, to trials that marginalize victims, all of these are evidence of the weakness of the criminal justice system in responding to this humanitarian tragedy.

Migrant CARE has documented that, of the victims who fought in court, only about 14% received restitution or compensation for the victims for the perpetrators’ actions.

This situation is exacerbated by the large number of cases that are stalled at the police level.

Based on SBMI documentation in 2025, there were at least 22 cases of migrant workers reported from 2014 to 2025 to various police agencies. However, until now, there has been no significant progress in handling these cases, and some of them are even approaching their statute of limitations.

The majority of reports relate to alleged TPPO, particularly in the form of forced labor against migrant fishing crews, mail-order brides abroad, domestic workers, unprocedural placement through Job Training Institutions, and exploitation in online gambling and forced online scamming networks.

According to KABAR BUMI data, there were 159 cases of TPPO between 2015 and 2024, with 19 cases reported in the last year. The methods and purposes of exploitation vary, including online recruitment and exploitation for work as scammers.

Unfortunately, the handling of TPPO cases that intersect with drug smuggling cases has not been viewed holistically, so that the handling still focuses on drug crimes without looking at the overall experience of victims who are recruited, transferred, and exploited for the purpose of drug smuggling. One such case is that of Mary Jane Veloso, where there has been no significant progress for the victim.

Karsiwen from KABAR BUMI also highlighted systemic issues related to cases of female victims of TPPO. Namely, the inadequacy of the TPPO Law in recognizing and regulating various new modes of recruitment through social media platforms, such as the spread of misinformation and disinformation. One example is scammers in foreign countries.

She said that the intersection of TPPO recruitment in the digital world is still viewed in a fragmented and incomplete manner.

“These modes and purposes of exploitation have not been recognized and regulated in the current TPPO Law,” said Karsiwen when contacted by Konde.co on November 14, 2025.

She urged law enforcement agencies, such as the police, to be more careful in analyzing cases because TPPO cases often involve migrant workers.

“It is analyzed only using the PPMI Law, not the PTPPO Law. In addition, it is necessary to respond to new modes and types of exploitation in TPPO, and provide compensation for victims,” she said.  

In line with this, the SBMI report also recommends several important points. In addition to the government and the Indonesian House of Representatives immediately revising the PTPPO Law to strengthen the rights of victims, it also urges the Indonesian National Police, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Supreme Court to draft and issue joint regulations/guidelines for handling TPPO cases involving migrant workers.

These guidelines must explain the integrated use of Law No. 21/2007 on PTPPO and Law No. 18/2017 on PPMI, as well as prioritize a victim-based approach, including restitution and recovery mechanisms.

The Indonesian National Police must also immediately develop and establish TPPO Directorates in all regional police stations. It must also develop victim-friendly, accessible police services that guarantee the confidentiality and safety of victims. Reporting must be supported by protocols that ensure victims’ rights to are fulfilled from the outset, including the right to assistance, protection, and information.

The government must strengthen the TPPO Task Force at all levels by ensuring that its coordinating functions are effective, that the budget is available, that civil society is meaningfully involved, and that the capacity of the Regional Task Force is strengthened so that it can work effectively and not merely symbolically. In particular, it must ensure that the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Handling of TPPO is implemented.

“Improve the capacity of law enforcement officials through training and education in handling cases of TPPO involving Indonesian migrant workers and in understanding the legal framework of the PTPPO Law and the PPMI Law. Also, provide special law enforcement officials to handle TPPO cases,” she concluded.

Trisna Dwi Yuni added that the police should not only act as a task force but also carry out the duties mandated since 2008.

“The task force has been mandated since 2008.”

Migrant CARE then initiated the establishment of Desa Peduli Buruh Migran or Desbumi (Migrant Worker Care Village). This is a local initiative established to promote the protection of migrant workers, especially women, starting from the village level.

Desbumi is tasked with expanding its network and advocacy at the national level to villages in order to protect Indonesian migrant workers. They formed migrant worker groups and developed initiatives in 37 villages. Supported by village regulations, Desbumi provides services at the village level for migrant workers before, during, and after migration, including: pre-departure training, financial literacy, case management, and supporting access to government services and programs such as social protection and economic programs for former migrants. It also advocates for the Law on the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Law No. 18/2017), which was passed in 2017.

“We advocate for draft legislation, including the supervision of migrant workers and social protection for migrant workers. And everything must start or be resolved from the village,” said Trisna Dwi Yuni.

(This coverage is part of the Special Edition of the #StopMisoginiTeknologi series, a collaboration between Konde.co and Kabar Makassar supported by BBC Media Action)

(Translator: Theresia Pratiwi Elingsetyo Sanubari)