"Human trafficking is a despicable crime against humanity, and the government already has relevant laws on this issue," Mahfud said here on Wednesday.
He condemned human trafficking as dangerous and a threat to humanity as well as a cause of financial losses for victims, and called for collective action to thwart the crime.
"If people are treated as slaves in particular places, such as on ships, or (while working) on farms, yet being denied their salary, have their passport confiscated, and other issues, we must take action against those crimes together," the coordinating minister remarked.
He said that his visit to Batam was to warn perpetrators of human trafficking, either within government institutions or private parties, to cease their action.
"This is a warning for (human trafficking) syndicates, either in government offices or private parties. I already have the list of the syndicates, yet it will be verified first to prove its validity," he noted.
After the visit to Batam, the government will process the data collected during the visit for further action, he said.
"The government is serious, as after this visit, we will process the data received here in Jakarta. There are a lot of sources that we must verify its validity (with) to determine further action that would be taken," Mahfud said.
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Translator: Ilham Yude P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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