7th April 2011: Global March has welcomed the news that the government of Indonesia has passed a long-awaited law against trafficking. Under the new law, those found guilty of helping to transport illegal migrants into the country could now face prison terms of up to 15 years and a large fine.

Before the new legislation, traffickers were able to operate relatively freely and almost with impunity in the country. The new law changes this situation and fines of up to $170,000 and/or long jail sentences will hopefully go some way to addressing trafficking activities in the future.

“This is welcome news indeed,” said Global March Chairperson Kailash Satyarthi. “Putting in place strong legislative frameworks to address trafficking is an important first step. Of course, passing the law is one thing – enforcing it is quite something else. In order for this new legislation to become a true deterrent to traffickers, the Indonesian authorities will have to invest considerably in monitoring and enforcement. This will include addressing situations of potential corruption in the monitoring and enforcement system. Trafficking of people is a growing industry and highly lucrative demanding a strong, determined and committed response by the authorities. We applaud this important step forward by the government and urge its full enforcement to bring these criminals to justice and protect vulnerable children, women and men.”