June 18, 2009 

U.S. State Department Honors Anti-Trafficking “Hero” from Indonesia

Bahasa Indonesia

Washington – The U.S. Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, and in addition, honored the efforts of nine outstanding individuals from around the world who have worked to end trafficking, identifying them as “Heroes Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery.” In a press conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recognized Elly Anita from Indonesia who was a victim of human trafficking, as one of these Heroes.

In 2006, Indonesian citizen Elly Anita accepted a secretarial position in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but she instead ended up in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.  Her employment agent beat her and starved her, kept her confined and even put a gun to her head. Anita later found an opportunity to escape, and she used the Internet to contact the Indonesian embassy in Amman, Jordan, and the Indonesian non-governmental organization (NGO) Migrant Care. With the help of the International Organization for Migration, Anita escaped Iraq, and returned to Indonesia. 

Since returning to her home country, Anita has used her experiences to help rescue others.  She began working for Migrant Care, helping to rescue six women who were also trafficked.  One of the greatest threats to Indonesian trafficking victims is forced labor in the Middle East and more developed Asian countries. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia are the top destinations for trafficked workers, where victims are forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. 

Since 2001, the U.S. Department of State has annually published the Trafficking in Persons report on governments’ efforts to stop trafficking. While many nations continue to work to reduce this crime, this modern-day slavery continues to plague the world and devastate the lives of millions.  An estimated 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Millions more are trafficked within their own national borders.

For more information about the U.S. Embassy’s activities please visit http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/.

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