Julie Lebegue

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) child protection officer Julie Lebegue said that there were at least 70,000 children involved in the commercial sex industry, and that 30 percent of the total number of commercial sex workers in Indonesia were below 18 years of age.
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Other countries' experiences show that once you start the law enforcement and take it seriously, it will raise people's awareness that it [trafficking in women and children] is a crime," said Lebegue.Law enforcement also provides the means to punish traffickers.

Speaking on the possibility of Acehnese women and children being trafficked as an aftermath of the ongoing war, she said, "Whenever there is a conflict in an area, you'll get a high risk of trafficking as children are separated from their families and lost their identities.

MEDAN, March 29 (OANA/ANTARA) -- Indonesia needs to cooperate with its neighboring countries to deal with child trafficking, which has become a major issue in Southeast Asia, UNICEF spokeswoman, Julie Lebegue, said here Monday.

Lebegue was here to attend the Southeast Asian conference on child trafficking, being participated in by some 300 representatives of countries in Southeast Asia.

She was commenting on the growing concern over child trafficking in Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, which she said has yet to have a serious cooperation with neighbouring countries to overcome the problem.

Lebegue stressed on the great need for close cooperation among Indonesia and its neighbouring Asean countries, especially their respective police forces and non-governmental organisations.

She pointed out that child trafficking is the result of a consumptive lifestyle, poverty and the lack of parents' awareness of the importance of giving their children education.

"The basic cause of child trafficking is consumptive lifestyle," she said, adding that child trafficking is a problem in a number of Indonesian cities such as Batam in Riau province and Medan in North Sumatra.

Pointing out that child trafficking is rampant in Indonesia and Malaysia, Lebegue said both countries should cooperate, like Cambodia and Vietnam, to overcome the illegal practice.

She expressed hope that the two-day conference here, which will run until Tuesday, would yield the best possible solution to child trafficking.

About 300 participants from Southeast Asian countries are attending the conference, which has brought forward 25 noted speakers from various non-governmental organisations throughout the region.

United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) child protection officer Julie Lebegue said that there were at least 70,000 children involved in the commercial sex industry, and that 30 percent of the total number of commercial sex workers in Indonesia were below 18 years of age.
...
Other countries' experiences show that once you start the law enforcement and take it seriously, it will raise people's awareness that it (trafficking in women and children) is a crime," said Lebegue.

Law enforcement also provides the means to punish traffickers.

Speaking on the possibility of Acehnese women and children being trafficked as an aftermath of the ongoing war, she said, "Whenever there is a conflict in an area, you'll get a high risk of trafficking as children are separated from their families and lost their identities.

Indonesia needs to cooperate with its neighboring countries to deal with child trafficking, which has become a major issue in Southeast Asia, UNICEF spokeswoman, Julie Lebegue, said here Monday.Julie was here to attend the Southeast Asian conference on child trafficking, being participated in by some 300 representatives of countries in Southeast Asia.She was commenting on the growing concern over child trafficking in Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, which she said has yet to have a serious cooperation with neighboring countries to overcome the problem.Julie stressed on the great need for a close cooperation among Indonesia and its neighboring ASEAN countries, especially their respective police forces and non-governmental organizations.She pointed out that child trafficking is the result of a consumptive lifestyle, poverty and the lack of parents' awareness of the importance of giving their children education."The basic cause of child trafficking is consumptive lifestyle," she said, adding that child trafficking is a problem in a number of Indonesian cities such as Batam, Riau province and Medan, North Sumatra province.Pointing out that child trafficking is rampant in Indonesia and Malaysia, Julie said both countries should cooperate, like Cambodia and Vietnam, to overcome the illegal practice.She expressed hope that the two-day Southeast Asian conference here, which will run until Tuesday, would yield the best possible solution to child trafficking.About 300 participants from Southeast Asian countries are attending the seminar, which has brought forward 25 noted speakers from various non-governmental organizations throughout the region.

For further information about the program in Indonesia, please contact Julie Lebegue, UNICEF's Child Protection Officer at jlebegue@unicef.org, Kendartanti Subroto, Communication Officer at ksubroto@unicef.org or Els Ramadhinta, PR Manager of Hotel Sari Pan Pacific Jakarta at eramadhinta@panpacific.com.