In Indonesia, the fate of children has become a commodity: police exposed the activities of an international syndicate, reports bbc.com. According to official information, since 2023 a group of criminals has sold at least 25 babies to buyers in Singapore. In the uncovered schemes, babies were even “reserved” before birth and put up for sale through a special network.
This week, police arrested 13 people in the cities of Pontianak and Tangerang who were preparing to sell six more babies. Officials said the babies were kept in special homes, and immigration documents were prepared for their export to Singapore. Surawan, head of the criminal investigation department of West Java police, stated, “All these children were given official documents and sent to Singapore through a special procedure.”
It turned out that the syndicate exploited the financial difficulties of parents. In particular, they targeted parents unable to care for their child or expectant mothers, contacting them first through social networks, especially Facebook and WhatsApp. In some cases, babies were “reserved” before birth, mothers were paid for childbirth expenses, and later, for a certain amount, the babies were taken away.
The investigation revealed that the child-selling scheme involved recruiters, guardians, house owners, and document forgers. After being taken from their mothers, the babies were given to guardians for 2-3 months, and later birth certificates, passports, and other documents were prepared in Jakarta and Pontianak.
Sales prices were also officially recorded: each baby was sold for 11-16 million Indonesian rupiah ($670–$980). According to those arrested, the syndicate sold at least 12 boys and 13 girls both in Indonesia and abroad.
Police suspect that some parents agreed to sell their children due to financial difficulties. If it is proven that an agreement existed between parents and criminals, all participants will be charged with crimes against children and human trafficking.
Currently, the Indonesian police have asked Interpol and Singapore police to help locate syndicate members abroad and buyers of the children. Analysts believe this situation once again draws public attention to one of the biggest problems in society — human trafficking and child rights violations. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
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