Jakarta, IO – A 24-Hour Conference on Global Organized Crime was held on October 19, 2023, with “Civil Society in Preventing and Eradicating Organized Crime” as the theme. The 24-Hour Conference on Global Organized Crime was a one-day virtual conference.
The Conference was organized by the Center for Information and Research on Organized Crime (CIROC), the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime (IASOC), and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crimes.
Nukila Evanty, Igor Išpanović and Miloš Katić. were the speakers for the session, which focused on global organized crime issues, ones often well-planned and frequently crossing boundaries and nations.
Nukila Evanty, Country Director of RIGHTS, Executive Director of the Women Working Group (WWG), and Chairwoman of Indigenous Peoples’ Initiatives, spoke on “Civil Society’s Role in Preventing Crime/Organized Crime,” which, according to Nukila, plays a major role in preventing and suppressing organized crime, by monitoring, assisting, mobilizing, and exposing it. “We must speak up because we will not progress in silence,” Nukila said.
Human trafficking reportedly remains Indonesia’s major issue. Data from the Indonesian National Police Task Force on Human Trafficking Crimes (Satgas POLRI) shows 2,693 people were victims of human trafficking in June 2023, with 2,102 cases of commercial sex workers, 522 cases of illegal migrant workers, and 69 shanghaied ship crew members. “Women and children are the most vulnerable victims of human trafficking,” confirmed Nukila.
Nukila added that current destination countries for Indonesian human trafficking include Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and the Middle East.
Considering the prevalence of human trafficking in Indonesia, Nukila expects the government to intensify investigations and prosecutions, as well as imposing severe punishments on human trafficking criminals. Nukila also urges society to raise awareness about human trafficking issues among the highly vulnerable.
The three key points highlighted by Nukila regarding the increasing prevalence of human trafficking in Indonesia include, first, the patriarchal society culture that thwarts women from having the right to speak. Second, law enforcers’ inadequate understanding of what human trafficking is, especially when the victims are children, for example, labor and sexual exploitation, particularly child prostitution and pornography, exploitation of illegal workers (such as beggars and drug traffickers), trafficking in adoption, and forced marriages.
Third, civil society’s lack of involvement in preventing poor and marginalized villages from being exploited by syndicates. There is a need for legal assistance, mental and psychosocial recovery assistance, and the repatriation of victims to their homes. “Civil society has the power to change the situation; it simply hasn’t been optimized,” Nukila concluded.
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Miloš Katić and Igor Išpanović from Serbia outlined the issue of organized crime, and mentioned that the judiciary is greatly influenced by the involvement of political players and high-level officials, as organized crime, such as corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking, always involves actors with significant influence.
The conference concluded with moderator Bima Anugrah stating, “Even if the world ends tomorrow, humanity will never die.” The people are expected to transform and be better members of civil society. (des)