Selling Himself Rp1,2 Million Due To Economic Urgency, 16-Year-Old Child In Bukittinggi, West Sumatra Claims To Serve Guests 3 Times

The perpetrators of the crime of trafficking in persons are being questioned at the Bukittinggi Police Station. Antarasumbar/Al Fatah

SUMBAR - Victims of the Criminal Case of Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) in Bukittinggi City, West Sumatra (West Sumatra) admitted that they were forced to accept an offer from the perpetrator who sold himself for IDR 1.2 million for economic reasons.

"According to the victim's initials A (16) who we secured, he admitted that he was forced to accept an offer from perpetrator G (32) due to economic needs and not having a job," said Head of Unit III for the Protection of Women and Children (PPA) of the Bukittinggi Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Ipda Tiara. Nur, in Bukittinggi, Antara, Monday, November 22.

Ipda Tiara said from the results of the preliminary examination, the victim had been sexually exploited three times by the perpetrator with different customers and prices.

"The victim has been exploited three times with different prices and different customers, then they are given a share according to the agreement, which is around Rp. 500 thousand, while the perpetrator gets the rest," he said.

He said the victim was not sold on special social media, but was only given a WhatsApp contact number after an agreement was made with the customer at the hotel location.

"So the victim was contacted by the customer through the Whatsapp application and met at a hotel in Bukittinggi, we also took care of the customer," he said.

According to the suspect's confession, he had only known the victim for four months and asked the perpetrator to find a job because of economic needs.

"I've only been in this profession for two months and twice sold the victim to a masher, because he said he needed money and wanted to do this work," said the perpetrator when questioned.

The PPA Unit of the Bukittinggi Police Satreskrim said it would provide psychological assistance to victims who were asked to report.

For his actions, the suspect is subject to Article 2 in conjunction with Article 17 of Law no. 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons with a threat of up to 15 years in prison.

Previously, the Bukittinggi Police Criminal and Investigation Unit arrested the alleged perpetrator of the criminal act of trafficking in persons in Bukittinggi last Friday.

The alleged perpetrator of the trafficking of minors was secured in a hotel in Bukittinggi with evidence of Rp800,000 in cash from the perpetrator's hand and Rp400,000 from the victim's hand.