INDONESIA: News of a cross-border baby-selling ring last July started with an alleged case of child abduction that turned out to be a failed deal between the parents and the traffickers who are selling babies to Singapore.
The case unravelled after a parent reported to police in Bandung that their baby had been kidnapped. But investigations uncovered the truth: the parents had agreed to sell their baby to the ring, but when the buyer failed to pay the full agreed-upon amount, one parent decided to file a police report.
The police then discovered that babies, most of whom were two to three months old, were first kept in Bandung and then later sent on to Pontianak, West Kalimantan. There, they were given falsified passports and family IDs.
Their final destination: Singapore, where adoptive families awaited.
The bottom line for the trade, as in many things, is money, though some parents never even receive the amount they bargained for.
Indonesian police quoted a suspect who said that they contacted a pregnant woman on Facebook, and promised to give her 10 million rupiah (around S$755). They later only gave the woman 600,000 rupiah (around S$45), but took the baby anyway.
South China Morning Post reported that mafia networks in Indonesia are increasingly targeting babies for trafficking, often sold due to economic pressures.
Victims typically include young women or minors who become pregnant out of wedlock.
SCMP quoted Gabriel Goa, chairman of Advocacy Services for Justice and Peace in Indonesia, as saying the surge in such cases—like those in West Java—is driven by the allure of high payments in Singapore dollars.
In July, the Indonesian police went on to arrest 12 people said to be involved in a baby trafficking syndicate. Six babies were rescued, five of whom were reportedly set to be sold in Singapore. A highly organised group that has sold at least 24 infants since 2023 is behind the ring. 14 of the babies were said to be trafficked to Singapore.
The infants largely come from among the poorest and most vulnerable families in West Java. The traffickers paid the parents -some of whom were teenage mothers- between 11 million and 16 million rupiah (S$866 to S$1,200). They were then sold through adoption facilitators at much higher prices.
The story is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg, as more details concerning the trafficking operations have come to light since then.
A report in CNA from Jan 24 highlighted that in Indonesia, it is not uncommon to find mothers willing to give up their infants on social media, and how these offers easily find eager takers.
It quoted a spokesperson from the West Java Police as saying that “the easiest way to recruit babies is through social media,” and that the authorities have an uphill battle to end the trade. /TISG
Read also: Indonesian police bust baby trafficking ring with links to Singapore adoptions
