Jakarta, IO – Thousands of students fell victim to Trafficking in Persons (TIP) under the guise of doing internship in Germany while in fact they were employed as menial laborers.
The National Police (Polri) General Crimes Bureau director Brig. Gen. Djuhandhani Raharjo Puro said the students were exploited once they arrived in Germany, per CNN Indonesia, Thu (27/3).
In other words, they did not work in places that make use of their skills and educational attainment. Djuhandani said police are investigating the perpetrators and if arrested would charge them using TIP article in the Criminal Code.
“The engineering students there are told to do things that were not part of the internship program. They felt cheated,” he said.
Read: Jokowi Inaugurates 4 Airports In Sulawesi To Enhance Logistics Efficiency In Eastern Indonesia
Djuhandhani revealed this is a new modus operandi. “This is the first time this method has been used, by manipulating a student exchange program and promising a credit transfer to Indonesian universities,” he explained.
A total of 1,047 Indonesian students were sent to Germany through an internship program called ferien job. The police have named five suspects — ER a.k.a EW (39), A a.k.a AE (37), AJ (52), SS (65), and MZ (60). Two of the suspects are known to be still in Germany. (un)