Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Bintang Puspayoga called on regional authorities to facilitate and guide human trafficking handling task forces set up at the city and district levels.
“Our coordination must be comprehensive, prompt, and accurate,” Puspayoga stated during the Human Trafficking Prevention and Handling Task Force National Coordination Meeting observed by online means here, Wednesday.
The minister said that members of the human trafficking handling task force at the central government level comprised 24 ministries and government institutions divided into six sub-task forces.
Puspayoga, who will preside over the task force as the executive chair, has also set up provincial task forces in 32 provinces, except in Papua and West Papua, where the processes are ongoing.
She underscored the need for officials to abide by prevailing laws and regulations in conducting their duties in the task force to ensure all works can be completed.
On account of the increasing number of human trafficking cases, as the figure in 2021 tripled from that in the previous year, the minister urged regional authorities to collaborate with relevant stakeholders in taking action against human trafficking.
With the presence of the human trafficking handling task force, regional authorities are expected to assist in handling human trafficking victims through task forces established at the provincial, city, and district levels.
The minister emphasized that regional authorities should also bolster efforts to disseminate information on the dangers of human trafficking from the provincial to village levels to educate residents about human trafficking and prevent them from falling victims to it.
“We highly commend regions that have implemented (human trafficking prevention) efforts from the grassroots level,” Puspayoga remarked.
Source: Antara News