fahmina institute Cirebon

On Sunday 6th May, 2007, PC.NU, the Cirebon region branch office of Nahdlatul Ulama, together with Cirebon District Police and Fahmina Institute held a seminar on anti-trafficking. The seminar was attended by more than a hundred participants comprised of branch board representatives (MWC) of NU, and Heads of Sub-District Police (Kapolsek) across the Cirebon region, NGOs, university students and community leaders/elders. The guest speakers taking part in this seminar were: Dra. Maria Ulfah Anshor, M.Hum (member of the People’s Representative Council - DPR RI), Drs. Kamil Razak, SH MH (Provincial Police (POLDA) of West Java), Drs. Bambang Budiono (Director of the Centre for Human Rights Studies, University of Airlangga, Surabaya) and K.H Ali  Murtadho (Head of the NU Executive Body for Cirebon Region). The event was a result of a public meeting which took place on 27 April 2007 held collaboratively by PC NU Cirebon regency with a newly appointed Regional Head of Police, AKBP Drs. Syamsul Bahri, in which an agreement was reached to make a collaborative effort to prevent and take action against trafficking.  The seminar on 6th May was the first step in that process.

 

The Kapolres further suggested the establishment of a collaborative team between Cirebon Region PC NU and Kapolres. The team would also include Fahmina Institute staff who would assist in drafting concrete work agendas which would then be submitted to the Cirebon Regional Government as draft work plans. The Kapolres further emphasized that the agenda of protecting the community from trafficking should be one of the requirements to be fulfilled by candidates prior to the Regional Election (Pilkada) in Cirebon Region in 2008.

Trafficking is a systematic crime making it difficult to detect. Therefore, any effort to tackle such a problem should involve cooperation of all stakeholders, which, if nothing else, which will serve as a stepping stone to unity. Under the national law No 21, 2007, on combating human trafficking, the responsibilities of provincial governments include:  

1. Setting up community centres or Trauma Centres to provide services such as health, social, identifying origin and reintegration programs.
2. Preventing human trafficking across communities in partnership with family members.
3. Making policies, programmes, and allocating funding to prevent and address the issue of human trafficking.
4. Setting up preventive measures against human trafficking
5. Establishing work groups consisting of representatives from government bodies, law enforcement, community organizations, profession-based organizations, researchers and academics.
6. Providing full access for community participation, nationally and internationally in compliance with the existing Constitutions, laws, and international practices.

NU Fatwa Outlaws Human Trafficking

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the biggest social religious organization in Indonesia, has responded explicitly to the issue of human trafficking.  This is due to the fact that most human trafficking victims come from NU communities. On 15 August 2006, the Halaqoh, a conference of Ulama NU (NU scholars), which was opened by KH Ma'ruf Amin and closed by KH Masyhuri Na'im, decided the following:

1. The law proclaims as HARAM (forbidden): the exploitation of human beings by means of recruitment, transporting, sheltering, dispatching, transferring, or employing them with threat, violence, kidnapping, detention, fraud, deception, misuse of power, debt traps or bribery, conducted either domestically or abroad.
2. Prevention of the spread of human trafficking crimes and any attempts at exploitation, as well as protecting and safeguarding victims are WAJIB (compulsory) for the government and Ulama as religious and community leaders.
3. To recommend to the community of Nahdlatul Ulama and all the executive board members of NU including Central Executive Board, Provincial Board, Branch Board, Sub-District Board, Local Board, and all other autonomous bodies, institutions or associations within NU, an anti human-trafficking campaign and the prevention of all exploitative practices through the immediate launch an initiative to raise awareness of the threat of human trafficking practices in their respective regions.

In his opening remarks, KH Ali Murtadho emphasized the intention of NU to work hand-in-hand with and support the community. NU, he said, should not merely be a maf'ul (object) but also a fa'il (subject). NU is also determined to fight against human trafficking which has become wide-spread in our daily lives. The executive board of PC NU for Cirebon Region hopes that all Cirebon community members will increase their awareness about human trafficking in the region. Employment opportunities overseas should not be used by the perpetrators as a medium to commit acts of deception, abuse, violence, illegal sheltering and human trafficking. Increased awareness will surely prevent such abuses.

Draft Agreement

The conference resulted in a number of draft agreements.  They include:

1. To increase people’s awareness to abide by law and regulations
2. To follow up this meeting with more concrete coordination, at least once a month at a regency level, taking place at a venue that will be agreed on by both parties.
3. To carry out coordinative activities at village level through the implementation of Police and Community Partnerships Forum (FKPM).
4. To discuss within FKPM framework, law and order issues discussed such as Trafficking and the Elimination of Domestic Violence in the region of Cirebon, among others.
5. Within FKPM framework, for members to be recruited from local NU board.
6. To jointly identify the potential for human trafficking practices to occur and find strategies to address the problems.
7. To jointly approach the Cirebon Provincial Government to set up working groups in accordance with the law no. 21/2007 PTPPO. This draft agreement needs to be further discussed with Kapolres, Head of Branch Boards of NU and the Director of Fahmina Institute.

It is hoped that the draft agreement will be an effective strategy to address the problem of human trafficking which can potentially harm human dignity, so highly valued in Islam.

“Whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind." (Qur'an : Al-Maidah, 32; (Pickthall Translation)) .[]

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