JakartaPost-Dec 19
National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has inaugurated a new directorate responsible for handling crimes against women and children as well as human trafficking. The Crimes Against Women and Children and Human Trafficking (PPA-PPO) Directorate will be placed under the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim). It will be led by Brig. Gen. Desy Andriani. Speaking at the launch event in Jakarta on Tuesday, Desy said the directorate would focus on tackling gender-based violence against women and children as well as safeguarding other vulnerable groups. The police chief expressed hope that the new directorate would be expanded to the provincial, city and regency levels of the force. Desy said discussions to expand the directorate to local police branches were ongoing with the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry and the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry. Listyo said forming the PPA-PPO directorate had not been easy, as the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry limited the number of police directorates to six. Women’s Empowerment and Children’s Protection Minister Arifatul Choiri Fauzi, who also attended Tuesday’s launch event, said the new directorate would strengthen efforts to address cases of violence against women and children. She cited ministry data for the 2019-2023 period, when 2,265 victims of human trafficking were recorded. Women and children were the most vulnerable to such cases. National Commission on Violence Against Women commissioner Siti Aminah urged the police to handle abuse cases against women and children more swiftly. “The police must not only gather evidence but also ensure protection for witnesses and victims by providing them with necessary support services and recovery options,” Siti said, as quoted by tempo.co. She emphasized the importance of strengthening internal mechanisms within the directorate as well as working closely with other law enforcement agencies and victim support organizations to eradicate gender-based violence. Gender-based violence remains neglected issue in Indonesia, UN says. Read more at:
