Banda Aceh Police Arrest Perpetrators Of Exploitation Of Minors

The press conference of the PPA Unit of the Banda Aceh Police Satreskrim related to the alleged exploitation of minors in Banda Aceh, Wednesday (5/7/2023) (ANTARA/Nurul Hasanah)

BANDA ACEH - Women and Children Protection Unit (PPA) Banda Aceh Police Satreskrim arrested SA (27) an entrepreneur worker from Aceh Besar District for allegedly exploiting four minors economically.

"We arrested the suspect in the Beurawe Banda Aceh area on Thursday (26/6) at 15.00 WIB, he has exploited four children to sell jambu klutuk every day until 23.00 WIB," said Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Banda Aceh Police, Kompol Fadillah Aditya Pratama in Banda Aceh, Wednesday, July 5.

Fadillah said the perpetrator's mode was to use children's energy economically to provide their personal benefits.

"The perpetrator knew that the victim's parents had a non-permanent income, so the suspect took the initiative to use the children to sell some food," he said.

Fadillah said that in his action the suspect picked up the victims every day to take a fruit basket using a rickshaw, then the victim was placed in a crowded center in the Banda Aceh area to sell his merchandise.

"Every day the victims take fruit baskets and then sell them in crowded places such as coffee shops and red light intersections in Banda Aceh City," he said.

Fadillah explained, SA gave guava klutuk fruit which had been packaged as much as 30 to 50 cups, then sold for Rp. 10,000 per cup. The victims were then given a salary of Rp. 2,000 per cup that was successfully sold.

Based on the results of the PPA unit examination, each child is able to sell around 30 cups, and the income earned is Rp. 60 thousand, while SA earns a profit of Rp. 900 thousand per day.

"The work given to minors starts from February to the end of June," he said.

During the arrest, the police confiscated four baskets containing cut guava and rickshaws used to carry the victim. The perpetrator is now being held at the Banda Aceh Police Headquarters for examination.

"The perpetrator is now arrested by the police on suspicion of criminal acts of economic exploitation of children as referred to in Article 88 in conjunction with Article 76I of Law Number 35 of 2014 concerning amendments to Law Number 23 of 2002 concerning child protection," said Kompol Fadillah.