Sidoarjo Couple Trafficked South Sumatra Woman, Target of 300 Men per Month
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- Polda Jatim menetapkan pasangan suami istri asal Sidoarjo dan Sukabumi sebagai tersangka TPPO setelah menjebak seorang perempuan Sumatera Selatan menjadi pekerja seks komersial.
- Korban diwajibkan melayani minimal sepuluh pria setiap hari tanpa jeda selama enam bulan, dengan upah ditahan bila kuota bulanan tak terpenuhi.
- Polisi menyiapkan pemberatan hukuman karena praktik ini dijalankan sebagai sumber penghasilan rutin, bukan kejahatan insidental.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigation for Women and Children Services and Trafficking in Persons (Ditres PPA-PPO) of the East Java Regional Police arrested a married couple suspected of luring and trafficking a woman from South Sumatra into commercial sex work. The victim, who had initially been pursuing a job opening, was instead trapped in a cycle of exploitation with a daily quota set by the perpetrators.
Director of Ditres PPA-PPO of the East Java Regional Police, Kombes Pol Ganis Setyaningrum, said the two people named as suspects were ADR, a woman from Sidoarjo, and AA, a man from Sukabumi. Both now face criminal charges of trafficking in persons. According to Ganis, the victim was forced to serve at least ten men every day, meaning she had to complete around 300 transactions in a month.
The recruitment took place through what appeared to be an ordinary channel. The victim, who was looking for work, was contacted by an acquaintance named Septa who offered a connection to a labor provider. She traveled from South Sumatra to Surabaya without knowing the details of the job she would take on. Upon arriving in East Java, she did not receive the promised position but was instead forced into a prostitution network.
The pressure on the victim did not stop at the numbers. She was still required to serve guests even while menstruating, and her wages were withheld if the monthly quota was not met. This pattern shows economic control as a tool of coercion, not merely a lopsided work agreement. In the syndicate's structure, ADR held the main control: recruiting, housing, setting rates, managing the money, and determining customer targets. Meanwhile, AA acted as the field operator who supplied guests.
"If it is not fulfilled within a month, her salary is postponed. She has to reach the target of 300," Ganis said, describing the mechanism of oppression used by the suspects.
From a legal standpoint, investigators charged both suspects under Article 45 of the Criminal Code regarding the crime of trafficking in persons, aggravated by Articles 420 and 421 of the Criminal Code. Police stressed they would seek the maximum penalty because this crime was carried out as a permanent livelihood, not a one-off act. The aggravated sentencing is important to deter a network that treats the human body as a repeatable commodity.
This case shows a typical pattern of trafficking in persons in Indonesia: victims are recruited through their closest social ties, moved between provinces, and then controlled through debt, targets, and economic threats. This kind of modus is difficult to detect because it takes place in private spaces and often escapes labor oversight. The role of local governments, including oversight of informal labor recruitment flows, is crucial to breaking the chain before victims arrive at their destination.
Going forward, the question is not only the verdict for the two suspects, but how far the state can dismantle the network above them. Every trafficking case that surfaces usually reveals only the final node, while other recruiters, shelters, and financiers often continue operating. Without tracing money flows and providing comprehensive protection for victims, the same cycle of exploitation could repeat along a different route.
