Police say babies in Indonesia are being sold for as little as $1,450 — this is why baby trafficking is 'difficult' to eradicate

In short:

An Indonesian man has been charged after allegedly selling his child on Facebook for the equivalent of about $1,450 to buy two mobile phones and fund online gambling.

The child was recovered from the couple that bought him and returned to his mother last week.

What's next?

Experts say economic incentives for struggling mothers and a lack information about legal adoption are part of the reason why baby trafficking remains a problem in Indonesia.

Rusmala Dewi was relieved to be reunited with her 11-month-old baby after they had been separated for more than a month.

He was returned to her safe and well last week after he was allegedly sold by his father on Facebook for 15 million Indonesian rupiah ($1,450) in late August.

According to police, the buyers were a married couple who had been trying to have a child for 10 years.

"[Money] from the sale was used to buy [the father] two mobile phones and fund online gambling," said Ade Ary Syam, Jakarta Metropolitan Police's head of public relations.

Ms Dewi had moved away from the family home for work and discovered her baby had been sold when she went back to Jakarta for a break.

But she couldn't find where her son had ended up.

She reported her husband to police, who charged the 36-year-old earlier this month.

Ms Dewi praised police for finding her baby. (Supplied: Intan Afrida Rafni/Kompas)

They also arrested the couple who wanted her son, but Ms Dewi asked police to drop legal action against them after discussing it with family and friends.

"I changed my mind because they genuinely took care of my baby," she said during an appearance on the talk show Rosi on Kompas TV last week.

"There's no sign of abuse and my son was returned to me in good health.

"I understand the feeling of how hard it is to wait 10 years without having a child. The way they did it was wrong."

But she can't forgive the father of her child.

"Regarding my husband, I can't [withdraw the police report], because I'm really hurt as a mother," she said, in tears.

"Why would he have to sell a child … I want my husband to be punished because I really can't accept it."

Ms Dewi said if she had not gone to police, she wouldn't have had any idea where her child had been taken.

There are calls for the Indonesian government to do more to help young families. (Reuters: Enny Nuraheni)

Struggling mums selling to trafficking gangs

There's no official data on the numbers of babies and kids being sold in Indonesia.

However, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission said they received 64 complaints related to child exploitation and trafficking last year, up from 33 in 2022.

"The numbers fluctuate, but are certainly concerning as they only reflect reported cases — not those that go unreported," commission chair Ai Maryati told the ABC.

Indonesian police last month took action against a syndicate selling children across the islands of Java and Bali, naming eight suspects.

Police have arrested eight people accused of trafficking across Java and Bali. (Supplied: Liputan6.com)

An organisation in Tabanan, Bali, that provided housing and assistance for pregnant women was being used as a front for the operation, police say.

One of the suspects, a 41-year-old man, is accused of buying babies in Java and finding people in Bali who were looking to adopt children to sell them to.

According to police, the babies were sold for between $2,500–$4,500 by the alleged trafficking syndicate.

The syndicate is accused of targeting mothers who had been struggling financially when looking for babies to sell.

Baby sellers caught using Instagram to broker deals in Indonesia

Four people are arrested after allegedly selling babies via an Instagram account, local police say.

It's not the first time authorities in Indonesia have uncovered this kind of alleged criminal operation.

Last year, a 32-year-old man from Bogor near Jakarta known as the "father of a million children" was sentenced to four years in prison.

Police said he was involved in "child trafficking through illegal adoption" — selling children of single mothers on social media and using his charitable foundation as a front.

Better support for mothers needed

Ms Maryati, from the Child Protection Commission, said economic incentives for struggling mothers and a lack information about legal adoption helped to explain why baby trafficking remained a problem in Indonesia.

"Clearly, there's demand for it," she said.

She said illegal adoption often stripped children of their faith, cultural identity and familial connections, as many had been told they were orphans. 

Experts say there is a need to improve education around reproductive health and legal adoption. (Reuters: Willy Kurniawan)

The stigmatisation of single mothers or children born out of wedlock has also made it "difficult" to eliminate child and baby trafficking, according to the Centre on Child Protection and Wellbeing at the University of Indonesia.

"There is not enough social support from the Indonesian government," Ni Luh Maitra Agastya, the director of the centre, told the ABC.

"For example — there's no assistance for parents giving birth or child care.

"It is time for the Indonesian government to build a continuum of services for vulnerable children and families."

Indonesia needs to help single and vulnerable mothers with child care, experts say. (Reuters: Willy Kurniawan)

She highlighted the need for improved reproductive health care and options for temporary child care to help families and single mothers.

The Child Protection Commission also said law enforcement was "not optimal" and "weak" when it came to baby trafficking.

However, Ms Dewi has praised Indonesian police for their "quick" actions finding and returning her baby.

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Police described the case as "proof of the commitment" to serving the community.

In a statement, the Indonesian police said part of that commitment was to provide "services and protection for vulnerable groups, particularly children".

The statement said new directorates had been established for protecting children and women, as well as other victims of human trafficking.

The ABC has contacted Indonesia's Ministry of Social Affairs for further comment.