MoSA Provides Empowerment Assistance for 22 Human Trafficiking Victims from Kupang

KUPANG (12 July 2023) - One form of crime against humanity is the Crime of Human Trafficking, where the State is obliged to provide protection and treatment for victims.

Ministry of Social Affairs moved quickly to provide services to human trafficking victims with some rehabilitation and empowerment programs.

"I have compiled the program at Ministry of Social Affairs, but I still need to check what was thought and it is true that there is only one different thing.  "Everyone has almost the same calculations and I have to listen to them," said Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini accompanied by the Director General of Social Rehabilitation Pepen Nazaruddin during a working visit to Kupang Efata Center, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, Wednesday (12/7/2023).

For the victims, said the Minister of Social Affairs, empowerment will be given and checked starting from where the address is and what type of assistance will be provided so that the benefits are truly felt by the recipients.

"We have thought about empowerment for victims, where is the address, what sub-district is at what altitude and has been mapped.  Assistance for vegetable, rice, and corn or fishing businesses.  "We just need to realize it and communicate with the regions and we hope it will go well," said Minister of Social Affairs.

On this occasion, Minister of Social Affairs met with 22 victims of human trafficking cases.  Of these, 7 of them were victims who were returning home from cases that occurred in Riau.

The seven people came from: 3 people from Malacca Regency, 1 person from the North Middle East, 2 people from Belu, and 1 person from Ende.  Another 15 people were victims of human trafficking in other cases and 15 people came from the North Middle East.

Ministry of Social Affairs provides empowerment programs for victims, such as capital for gardening businesses, kiosk businesses, and livestock farming, with the hope that they will have their income and will not be interested in working abroad which could result in them being involved in human trafficking syndicates.

Apart from that, Ministry of Social Affairs also provides various skills training, in the form of sewing, cosmetology, and workshop businesses.

One of human trafficking victims, Dita Wahyuni, a resident of Malacca, admitted that she was happy to get attention from MoSA because she had worked in Malaysia illegally for four years using the services of a broker.

"I was wrong, using the services of a broker who abandoned us who worked for four years until we finally had legal problems.  We were left without eating or drinking in the forest on foot, especially with small children.  "I gave up and didn't come back," she said.

Also present at the meeting were Director of Social Rehabilitation for Disaster and Emergency Victims Rachmad Koesnadi, Head of Kupang Efata Center, Radik;  Special Advisor to the Minister of Social Affairs for Communications and Mass Media, Don Rozano Sigit;  and Special Advisor to the Minister of Social Affairs for Social Welfare Services Requirements and Potential Social Welfare Resources, Budijarso Lulu.