Jakarta, August 22, 2024 — DFW Indonesia, along with SBMI and supported by International IOM, provided assistance to 7 Fishing Vessel Crew Members (AKP) during the Witness and Victim Examination in the human trafficking (TPPO) case related to Bareskrim.
In April 2024, National Fishers Center (NFC) Indonesia received complaints from 7 AKP members who were part of the KM MUS and were later transferred to the Russian-flagged ship Run Zeng 03. They reported a tragic incident where they were forced to jump into the sea as an attempt to escape working conditions that were not in accordance with the agreement and were deemed unsafe. DFW Indonesia, together with SBMI and supported by IOM, assisted the victims to ensure they received access to protection, legal aid, and the social reintegration they needed.
On Monday, June 24, 2024, the Integrated Police Service Center – Bareskrim Polri In issued an police report related to this case, marking the initial step in the law enforcement process against the TPPO perpetrators by issuing the Police Report Receipt Letter No: STTL/206/VI/2024/BARESKRIM and reporting the alleged involved parties: MOP, R, GW, AW, etc.
As of August 22, 2024, the TPPO case has undergone its second examination, with the first examination having taken place on July 30, 2024.
One of the victims, MS (30), described the conditions he and his colleagues experienced while working. “Initially, I was offered a job on a fishing vessel with a promise of a 7 million bonus, a monthly wage of 2 million, THR of 2 million, and a premium of 500 rupiah per kg based on the catch. However, once on the ship, none of these promises were fulfilled; I was only given Rp. 500,000 once while still at Port Juwana before sailing. On the ship, we were only provided food and drink after work, and more often we had to collect rainwater for daily drinking. There was one instance when a colleague had a work accident; his head was injured by a large snapper, but it was only treated with alcohol and the wound was patched with coffee powder,” he explained.
According to DFW Indonesia, such conditions unfortunately frequently occur in various complaints received by NFC Indonesia. “We are very concerned about the conditions faced by AKP in the Aru Archipelago. This case highlights the importance of enhancing supervision and protection for fishing vessel crews. The state has an obligation to provide protection for AKP. Therefore, the government must urgently create regulations regarding recruitment and placement management to protect both local and SBMI AKP,” said Wildanu Syahril Guntur, Public Interest Lawyer from DFW Indonesia in his statement.
Juwarih, Secretary General of SBMI, stated that law enforcement in TPPO cases accompanied by SBMI has so far only focused on targeting the recruiters. “In our monitoring so far, TPPO law enforcement has only targeted the recruiters and not the main actors. Our hope for this case is that the authorities will seriously conduct investigations so that this case does not end like previous TPPO cases. We also hope that this case will not only be a temporary spotlight for the media and the public but will also trigger systemic changes in the protection of workers’ rights fishing vessels to prevent them from becoming TPPO victims,” he said.
DFW Indonesia and SBMI urge both national and local governments to immediately take concrete steps to prevent similar cases in the future and ensure protection for fishing vessel crews while working on fishing vessels.
