(KPL/VNA) Indonesia is intensifying cybersecurity cooperation among government agencies to strengthen efforts in combating human trafficking, particularly networks exploiting labour export activities.

The Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) is working with several state institutions equipped with cyber surveillance capabilities to protect citizens from human trafficking syndicates.

The institutions are the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, State Intelligence Agency (BIN), National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), and National Police (Polri), P2MI Minister Abdul Kadir Karding said.

Speaking to the media in Binjai city, North Sumatra province, he informed that his ministry has been coordinating with these institutions to screen digital items linked to advertisements for illegal migrant worker placements on social media platforms.

He added that the P2MI has been cracking down on networks implicated in sending Indonesian workers abroad through illegal channels. The ministry has recently brought back 546 Indonesian migrant workers from Myanmar, 137 of whom hailed from regions in North Sumatra, including Binjai, he said.

The minister then stressed the urgent need for comprehensive measures, such as tightening controls at departure points, to prevent more nationals from falling victim to human trafficking operations disguised as migrant worker placements.

He called for stricter inspections at ports and airports to detect individuals planning to travel overseas with the assistance of trafficking syndicates, often using tourist visas.

Additionally, Karding underscored the importance of taking an educational approach and raising public awareness to tackle illegal overseas employment.

To achieve that end, the P2MI has been working with multiple partners to disseminate crucial information on the legal procedures for becoming a migrant worker, he said.

These efforts, he added, are especially focused on regions identified as major contributors of migrant workers, such as Central Java and West Nusa Tenggara provinces.

KPL