"Human trafficking and sexual violence are crimes that are contrary to human's dignity. Hence, it must be prevented, eradicated, and handled comprehensively," advisor to the West Papua Governor, Eduard Toansiba, remarked here on Thursday.
Toansiba stated that women figures and religious and indigenous leaders need to be involved in helping the government prevent trafficking and sexual violence.
He remarked that cases of human trafficking and sexual violence in West Papua are like the iceberg phenomenon, with fewer cases reported than the actual figure.
In 2023 alone, 122 human trafficking cases were already recorded, with four of them in West Papua, based on the Women and Children Protection Online Information System (Simfoni PPA).
For this year alone, based on accumulated data recorded through the Women and Children Protection Online Information System (Simfoni PPA), there were 122 trafficking cases in Indonesia and four cases in West Papua.
Meanwhile, West Papua recorded eight women and 24 children, who were victims of sexual violence.
"However, this data does not reflect the real numbers. There are still many cases that have not been revealed, and in fact, cases of human trafficking and sexual violence are increasing," he stated.
To this end, Toansiba remarked that local governments and communities must prevent human trafficking and sexual violence together.
With the gathering event, the figures were expected to play an active role in preventing, handling, and suppressing cases of human trafficking and sexual violence in West Papua.
Head of West Papua's Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Office, Elsina Sesa, explained that high rates of poverty, unemployment, school dropouts, and lack of education make women and children vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking and sexual violence.
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Translator: Ali I, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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