Thirty Indonesians indicated as victims of human trafficking were sent back to their homeland thanks to the fast and effective cooperation of the Indonesian representative in Vietnam with the Directorate of Protection for Indonesian Citizens of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police, as well as relevant authorities in Vietnam.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Thirty Indonesian citizens indicated as victims of the human trafficking in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have been successfully returned to their respective homes and families in the country on April 10, 2023.

Thirty Indonesians indicated as victims of human trafficking were sent back to their homeland thanks to the fast and effective cooperation of the Indonesian representative in Vietnam with the Directorate of Protection for Indonesian Citizens of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police, as well as relevant authorities in Vietnam.

The victims, consisting of 29 men and one woman, were recruited with a promise of jobs abroad with high salaries, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a written statement on Wednesday.

However, in reality they were asked to do jobs that violated the law. They were trained to commit fraud under the pretext of a call center on behalf of an office or institution in Indonesia.

On March 12, 2023, the Indonesian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City suddenly received the arrival of 30 Indonesian citizens who asked for help from the Indonesian Consulate General after they collectively fled from their place where they were being held by fraud syndicates.

All the 30 Indonesian citizens came to the Consulate General without any of them having passports or cellphones, considering that since arriving in Ho Chi Minh City the perpetrators of the fraud syndicate had taken their passports and cellphones.

The syndicate perpetrators from the beginning also did not allow them to leave the shelter for the victims of 30 Indonesian citizens.

Responding to this condition, the Indonesian representative in Vietnam with full support from the Directorate of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and the National Police has succeeded in handling it to ensure that the 30 Indonesian victims can be returned safely to meet their families in Indonesia.

The Vietnamese government also provides full support for the deal with the human trafficking case by quickly arresting the perpetrators who try to escape from the law.

Based on information from local authorities, this case is the first case involving a large number of Indonesian victims in Vietnam.

The Indonesian representative and the central government also provided full assistance and support to the victims, including those in the forms of foods and clothing, medical treatment and costs of returning to Indonesia.

Support and sympathy were also provided by the Indonesian community and diaspora who live in Ho Chi Minh City by providing the assistance of foods, clothes and gifts of Ramadan (Muslim fasting month) for the victims.

After the document verification process and permits from the Vietnamese authorities were obtained, the 30 Indonesian victims were successfully returned on April 2, 2023 to further undergo the rehabilitation and psychocounseling process at the Trauma Recovery Center in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.

As of April 10, 2023, the 30 Indonesian victims have arrived safely to their respective places of origin.

The current trend of human trafficking is very worrying because it affects many Indonesian citizens.

The Indonesian government also constantly reminds the public not to easily believe in the promise of jobs abroad and big salaries.

In the future, people are expected to remind each other and learn the procedures for working abroad in accordance with prevailing regulations.

Reporting by Indonesia Window