Panel Discussion: “Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery”

“We cannot just be silent seeing the fact of human trafficking and slavery that’s happening right now, there is something that must be done to help them”

Sara was delivering the human trafficking presentation.

Edwin Rekosh explained the social problems solution through law.

“We cannot just be silent seeing the fact of human trafficking and slavery that’s happening right now, there is something that must be done to help them,” that was the words repeated over and over by Rahayu Saraswati D. Djojohadikusumo, well known as Sara, in the panel discussion “Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery”. Sara is the founder of Parinama Astha Foundation and Indonesia for Freedom Movement, which is active in eradicating the human trafficking and slavery in Indonesia. Parinama Astha itself means ‘to transform into hope’.

Sara revealed facts about the human trafficking, that Indonesia has entered the trafficking network as the transit point, market’s destination, and even the source for the trading itself. Through these facts, Sara reminded the audiences, that even though this kind of trading seems not related to our daily lives, this is already happening in Indonesia and might befall to the people around us. Not only in Indonesia, around the world itself the human trafficking network has become broader with 27 million people already traded including 100.000 children and female as the major victims that ended up as commercial sex worker. Sara once again reminded the audience not to be overwhelmed by the numbers’ nominal, because each of that numbers represents every person that needs to be saved.

< Sara

Even though the trafficking condition has worsening, it does not mean there is not any solution. “There are many researches and efforts to fight human trafficking, but there is no network to connect that information,” explained Sara. Sara hoped that students of UPH Faculty of Law could act to fight the trafficking whether it is small or large. “With researches or even by only spreading these facts, we could develop the awareness of human trafficking,” she added.

The discussion continued with the speaker Edwin Rekosh, a lecturer in Columbia Law School and Executive Director of PILnet: The Global Network of Public Interest Law. In his session, Edwin explained how the law could be used as a solution for the problems in society.

The audiences then raised some of the social problems that are happening nowadays such as drugs and poverty. Edwin described how those problems could be solved with law. For example, for drugs problem, one of the solution is to legalize the usage of methadone. Methadone could be used as an anti-addictive for the drugs user, however, because methadone is still classified as drugs, the legal usage of this substance is still prohibited.

The two-hour seminar that was held on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 ended with giving the souvenirs to both of the speakers. Approximately 80 participants, consisted of UPH Faculty of Law students and lecturers as well as other universities’ Faculty of Law students, attended this seminar. (lau)