Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has said that combating child sexual exploitation crimes is one of its priorities.
"This is reflected in the close cooperation between PPATK and the Indonesia Child Protection Commission (KPAI) by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to combat child sexual crimes," PPATK member Natsir Kongah said, according to a release received here on Wednesday.
He made the statement during a presentation at the ASEAN Conference on the Prevention and Response to the Abuse of Financial Service Providers in Child Sexual Exploitation, which took place in Bali on August 7-8.
So far this year, there have been 303 cases involving the economic and sexual exploitation of children, 128 instances of child trafficking, and 481 cases of children falling victim to pornography in Indonesia, Kongah informed.
In addition, 24 thousand children in the age range of 10–18 years fell victim to child prostitution, with the associated financial transactions reaching 130 thousand and total revenue touching Rp127 billion, or around US$7.9 million.
According to Kongah, PPATK's efforts to combat child sexual exploitation also cover Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region.
At the Financial Intelligence Consultative Group (FICG) meeting in Melbourne, Australia, in May 2024, a PPATK delegation submitted a proposal for establishing a red flag indicator for suspicious financial transactions.
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The proposal has been approved and has become a part of FICG's strategic projects for 2024–2025. The first draft of the red flag indicator document is expected to be completed in November 2024.
Child sexual exploitation has a real destructive impact and threatens the nation's next generation. Interpol data in June revealed that 69 countries are linked in the child sexual exploitation network. Therefore, Kongah said, forums such as the ASEAN Conference are crucial to strengthen the commitment of all parties in combating the crime.
