PKB Legislator: Ministry Of Human Rights Recommendations Regarding OCI Must Be Followed Up

Illustration of circus shows (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission XIII DPR RI, (PKB) Mafirion supports the recommendation of investigating allegations of gross human rights violations from the Ministry of Human Rights (Ministry of Human Rights) in the alleged exploitation of Indonesian Circular circus (OCI). He considered that the recommendation issued by the Ministry of Human Rights was an entry point for an in-depth and thorough investigation.

"We appreciate and support the recommendations issued by the Ministry of Human Rights. This is not just a case of past violence. This is a systemic portrait of the country's weakness in protecting children from exploitation under the guise of art and entertainment. Recommendations from the Ministry of Human Rights must be an entry point for deeper and thorough investigations," said Mafirion, Thursday, May 8.

To note, the Ministry of Human Rights asked Komnas HAM to investigate the possibility of gross human rights violations by SCI. According to the victim's statement, many of them were recruited from the age of 2 to 6 years, did not have a birth certificate, lost their family traces, and were forced to work without protection.

Mafirion said that the victim's statement was a signal of potential human trafficking by the OCI circus manager.

The state must be present to determine whether these actions are categorized as gross human rights violations and who is responsible. The corporation cannot hide behind the pretext of an economic agreement, "said the PKB legislator.

In addition to asking Komnas HAM to investigate potential human rights violations, the Ministry of Human Rights also recommended that the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit conduct a criminal investigation.

According to Mafirion, even though OCI is no longer active, the legal process still has to run to answer the victims' sense of justice. Because he said, the victims who are OCI workers have experienced violence for years and have never received legal protection.

"The National Police must investigate who is personally and institutionally responsible. Is there a violation of the Child Protection Act, the Criminal Code, or even the TIP Law? We at Commission XIII will encourage the police's active involvement," said Mafirion.

Mafirion also emphasized that in this case, the state should not only rely on restorative justice or mediation approaches, given the systemic nature of cases and long-term impact on victims.

The restorative justice approach may be appropriate in the context of minor violations or conflicts between equal parties. But in the case of OCI, what happens is the relation of unequal power and multidimensional losses. The state must strictly enforce criminal and civil law so that there is a deterrent effect and concrete recovery," he concluded.