Indonesia - The fight against human trafficking begins with grassroots leadership, the representatives of 13 at-risk Indonesian communities were told at Wednesday’s unveiling of a series of innovative village-specific counter trafficking policies developed by a district anti-trafficking task force with IOM’s assistance.

“We believe the most effective protection efforts are initiated at the community level, so for the past six months we have been working closely with villages here to formulate policies tailored to the specific circumstances of each village,” IOM Deputy Chief of Mission George Gigauri told 250 local government officials and community leaders in Sukabumi, West Java.

“Trafficking flourishes where there are uneven levels of awareness of the risks and dangers of working abroad, and limited access to correct information. These new tools will help to reduce that gap.”

Roughly 1.5 million Indonesians are registered with the Government as overseas workers. The number of unregistered workers could be as high as 2.5 million in Malaysia alone, creating an environment where trafficking can flourish. One quarter of the roughly 8,500 victims of trafficking IOM Indonesia has assisted since 2005 came from the populous West Java province. Local officials acknowledge that the Sukabumi district, four hours south of the capital Jakarta, is a target for unscrupulous labour recruiters.

The new initiative included the creation of village regulations, customized to meet the circumstances of each of the participating communities. These are complemented by a handbook containing standard operating procedures (SOP) for integrating services for victims of or witnesses to trafficking, and a pocketbook to help frontline responders identify and assist victims and/or witnesses.

“Trafficking in persons often begins with unscrupulous recruitment; the labour authorities have recorded 4,000 cases in Sukabumi alone involving this practice. I am hoping, with the adoption of village regulations, Sukabumi communities can help fight against trafficking and actively report the practice to local authorities,” said Dr. Sujatmiko, Deputy of Women and Children Protection, Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Cultural Affairs.

“The SOP and Pocket Book that we launch today are tools for all of you to properly identify victims and conduct referral for protection. So I am expecting to see an increase in the prosecution of offenders coming from this region,” Dr. Sujatmiko added.

Funded by the US Department of States, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, the launch was followed by a two-day skills training workshop for 65 village representatives.

For further information, please contact Paul Dillon, IOM Indonesia, Tel: +62 811 944 4612, Email: pdillon@iom.int