Ministry finds indication of human trafficking in online gambling

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

“They are lied to. They were promised to be placed in a legal place. It is legal in some countries, but in Indonesia, online gambling is illegal,”

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has found indications of human trafficking practices in online gambling cases in Southeast Asia.

The Ministry's Director General of Information and Public Communication, Usman Kansong, made this known during a debate titled “Dying by Gambling” in Jakarta, Saturday, June 15.

According to him, many Indonesians are employed in the gambling sector without being informed in advance about the actual work.

“We suspect a practice of human trafficking in online gambling. There are Indonesians employed in gambling venues, both online and physically,” Kansong explained.

He informed that Indonesians who were victims of human trafficking were employed in online gaming sites abroad.

“They are lied to. They were promised to be placed in a legal place. It is legal in some countries, but in Indonesia, online gambling is illegal,” he continued.

He said he discovered these practices in gambling venues in Southeast Asian countries.

Earlier, on April 23, he announced that the online gaming task force would collaborate with Interpol to handle cross-border cases.

Similar to the Human Trafficking Task Force, Kansong said the Integrated Task Force for the Eradication of Online Gaming would work with authorities in other countries to combat online gaming practices as a whole.

“Without a working group, it will be difficult to coordinate with other countries. With cooperation with other countries, we can carry out comprehensive management,” he said.

Additionally, he said efforts to involve Interpol were motivated by the discovery that online game servers targeting Indonesians originated from abroad.

In October 2023, the ministry discovered these servers located in the Philippines and Cambodia. Therefore, cooperation with Interpol or foreign authorities will allow the government to take legal action against online gaming bookmakers.

“The Financial Services Authority (OJK) cannot block bank accounts originating from abroad. By collaborating with authorities in other countries, the processing can be comprehensive,” he noted.

Kansong said the Integrated Task Force for the Eradication of Online Gambling would involve various ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, OJK, Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) and the national police.

The task force will work under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs.

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