Crime in Indonesia

Police cars in Indonesia, photographed in January 2009

Crime is present in various forms in Indonesia.

Crimes against foreigners in Indonesia

Petty crime, which includes snatch theft and pick-pocketing, is present in Indonesia, usually taking place in locations with many people. Taxi scams are common in Indonesia, in which fake taxis are passed off as real ones. Foreign travellers often get fooled by this trickery, and end up getting robbed by the conmen operating the fake taxi. Violent crime is another growing issue in the country. Pirated and counterfeit merchandise can be easily found in most parts of Indonesia.[1]

Crimes against women in Indonesia

Prostitution

Number of registered prostitutes in Indonesia, from 1984 to 1995

Prostitution, interpreted as a "crime against decency/morality", is illegal in Indonesia.[1] Nevertheless, the practice still is widespread, tolerated and regulated. Prostitution is most visibly manifested in Indonesia’s brothel complexes, or lokalisasi, which are found throughout the country.[2] These brothels are managed under local government regulations.[3] During or after raids by the police, the prostitutes are able to bribe the law enforcers and be released from custody; this has led to police raids being called "nothing more than an income source for public order officers".[4]

UNICEF estimates that 30 percent of the female prostitutes in Indonesia are below 18 years of age.[5] The International Labour Organization (ILO) puts the total number of child prostitutes in Jakarta at 5,000; according to the Jakarta city government, this is concentrated in Prumpung (North Jakarta), Grogol (West Jakarta) Tanah Abang (Central Jakarta), Block M (South Jakarta), as well as Jatinegara and Ciracas (both East Jakarta).[6] Child sex tourism is a problem, especially on the resort islands of Bali and Batam.[7][8]

Corruption and police misconduct

Corruption is a known and increasing issue in Indonesia.[9] There are two key areas in the public sector in which corruption in Indonesia can be found. These are the justice and civil service sectors. While hard data on corruption is difficult to collect, corruption in Indonesia is clearly seen through public opinion, collated through surveys as well as observation of how each system runs.[10] Corruption is regarded as a huge expense to the Indonesian government.[11] The Indonesian police force is known to go overboard and there have been reports of assaults against demonstrators in the country. The misuse of ferocity has been panned by the London-based Amnesty International.[12]

Other crimes

Indonesia has put to death a handful of individuals convicted of the crime of murder.[13] Watching porn is against the law, with effect of March 2008.[1]

Punishment

Crime is segmented into two broad classifications: "Crimes" and "Offenses".[14] There are a few methods to punish one for crime; this includes imprisonment and fine.[1] The death penalty executed by a firing squad is available and very frequently used, as a deterrent against crime. This has raised concerns from bodies like Amnesty International.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Indonesia". travel.state.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Intersections: Traditional and Emergent Sex Work in Urban Indonesia". Intersections.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  3. ↑ "Facts and Statistics » Coalition Against Trafficking In Women – Asia Pacific". Catw-Ap. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  4. ↑ Winarti, Agnes (26 December 2008). "Raids on prostitution merely 'income source for officials'". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  5. ↑ "Overview - Child Protection". UNICEF. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Child prostitutes big problem in Jakarta". The Jakarta Post. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Bali Sex Tourism". Indonesiamatters.com. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "Violence Study - INDONESIA: Child sex tourism 'rampant' in S.E Asia". CRIN. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  9. ↑ Cochrane, Joe (May 30, 2013). "Plague of Corruption Rises Anew in Indonesia". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Lateef, S. et al; Combating Corruption in Indonesia, World Bank East Asia Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit 2003 Full text
  11. ↑ Ezra Sihite (January 39, 2012). "Corruption Costs Indonesia $238m in 2011". Jakarta Globe. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ "Amnesty condemns police brutality in Indonesia". AsiaOne. April 26, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Indonesia executes three men for premeditated murder". The Straits Times. May 17, 2013.
  14. ↑ Newman, Graeme R. (30 October 2010). Crime and Punishment around the World: [Four Volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 92–. ISBN 978-0-313-35134-1.
  15. ↑ Gelling, Peter. "Indonesia widens use of death penalty". The New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
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