January 22, 2026 | 07:36 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Deputy Chief of Police Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo stated that human trafficking (TPPO) against Indonesian citizens in Southeast Asia is divided into land and maritime clusters. He stated that Cambodia and the Philippines are the two main destinations for human trafficking from Indonesia.
"In the last three years, the most prominent centers of exploitation have been Cambodia, followed by the Philippines," Dedi said during a discussion at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) building on Tuesday, January 21, 2026.
Dedi explained that human trafficking victims heading to Cambodia typically transit through Thailand. Meanwhile, trafficking victims heading to the Philippines typically travel by sea. "There are different patterns in the maritime cluster, especially in Indonesia and the Philippines. These are vast archipelagic countries with numerous entry points," he said.
North Sumatra is the most common point of origin for domestic trafficking victims. Dedi stated that the establishment of the Women and Children Criminal Investigation Directorate and the Criminal Trafficking in Persons (PPA-PPO) within the North Sumatra Regional Police was undertaken to address the rampant human trafficking through that point.
As of January 2026, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) had established PPA-PPO Directorates in 11 regional police (Polda). At the police resort level, 22 PPA-PPO Investigation Units had been established.
Dedi stated that currently, regional police and police resorts still face human resource constraints. According to him, the National Police will add investigators specializing in crimes against women and children and human trafficking.
Read: 699 Indonesians Fall Victim to Scam Industry in Cambodia
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