Exploitation Of Sisters Until Pregnant, NTB Police Investigate Allegations Of Child Prostitution In Mataram

Illustration - Peaceful Campaign of protection against children from acts of violence, exploitation, discrimination, and sexual harassment. BETWEEN PHOTOs/Aditya Pradana Putra/kye/aa

MATARAM - The West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police (Polda NTB) is paying serious attention to cases of alleged exploitation of minors by their own older siblings in the prostitution business in Mataram City.

Director of General Criminal Investigation (Dirreskrimum) of the NTB Police, Kombes Syarif Hidayat, said that this case was becoming the attention of his party.

"The emergence of this issue is now our concern," said Syarif in Mataram, Antara, Monday, May 19.

He explained that this case is related to the Child Protection Law and the Crime of Sexual Violence, which is legally included in the complaint offense category. This means that the legal process can only run if there are reports from victims or related parties.

For this reason, he said, his party is looking for a solution so that the case, which is considered very concerning, can still be processed legally.

One of the efforts made by the police is to coordinate with the Mataram Child Protection Agency (LPA). Dirreskrimum hopes that LPA can assist victims to be willing to officially report to the police.

"The information is that later in the afternoon the victim will come with the LPA," said Syarif.

The head of the Mataram LPA, Joko Jumadi, confirmed that his party had received initial information regarding the alleged exploitation of children by his older brother.

According to Joko, the perpetrator is a 22-year-old woman, while the victim is his younger sister who is currently 14 years old.

"This case is thought to have taken place between June and July 2024. The victim has been exploited since he was in elementary school," said Joko.

As a result of this exploitation, the victim was reported to have had a pregnancy and had given birth to a premature baby last week.

Joko added that his party will provide legal and psychological assistance for victims to ensure that this case gets fair and thorough handling.