The embassy said in its official web site on Monday that U.S. representatives also explore opportunities for working together to eliminate modern-day slavery.
Human trafficking is a trans-national crime, and no country working alone can solve it. While in country, the visiting U.S. team had an opportunity to see firsthand the work being done by Indonesian government officials and civil society representatives in Jakarta, Bandung, Sukabumi, and Manado to combat trafficking.
Trafficking in Indonesia takes many forms. Girls from Manado are trafficked to West Papua where they are exploited in the commercial sex industry.
Men from Central Java are defrauded on foreign fishing vessels and paid unfair wages. Under-age girls from Indramayu are coerced into illegal marriages. Women from Sukabumi are sent across Asia and the Middle East and forced to work without a salary and under threat of physical abuse.
Two members of the team, Mark Taylor and Kendra Kreider, led a discussion session at high-tech cultural center @america to share what they learned while in Indonesia. During the session, entitled "Combating Trafficking in Persons", the two State Department officials engaged members of the Indonesian National Police, government, and civil society in a dialogue on strategies for eliminating human trafficking. (A014)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
