A man in Jakarta, identified as RA, has been arrested for allegedly selling his 11-month-old baby online for 15 million rupiah. The authorities discovered that RA used the money for online gambling and personal expenses. The buyers of the baby have also been arrested on suspicion of being part of human trafficking networks. The incident came to light when the child’s mother returned from work and found her child missing, prompting RA to confess to selling the baby.
RA admitted to the police that he sold his baby to alleviate financial burdens, but instead, he used the money for online gambling. The Indonesian Child Protection Commission condemned the incident, stating that selling children violates basic human rights and goes against activities being eradicated by the state. Police revealed that RA knew the buyers through Facebook, where they were looking to purchase a toddler. RA contacted them and arranged the sale of the baby.
In addition to RA, the police also arrested the buyers, HK and MO, who were found with the baby in a rented home in Tangerang. They are being investigated for involvement in a human trafficking network. Under Indonesian law, human trafficking carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in jail and a fine of 600 million rupiah. Violations of the child protection law carry a maximum punishment of 15 years in jail and a fine of 300 million rupiah.
Recent reports have highlighted the issue of online gambling in Indonesia, with 4 million people involved in such activities. Communication and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi called it a serious threat to the country, particularly among individuals between 30 and 50 years old. The Indonesian community often resorts to selling children as a way to address economic issues, as seen in previous cases of babies being sold from Depok in Jakarta to Bali due to poverty. The government has been urged to implement long-term strategies to address human trafficking and gambling by focusing on education and literacy.
According to the Asian Development Bank, over 9.4 percent of Indonesia’s population was living below the national poverty line in 2023. This highlights the underlying issues that drive individuals to sell their children or engage in illegal activities such as online gambling. The Indonesian authorities are working to dismantle human trafficking networks and crackdown on such criminal activities, with a focus on enforcing stricter punishments to deter future incidents. The incident involving the sale of a baby online for gambling highlights the need for greater awareness and education on child protection and the consequences of such actions.
