TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Police arrest two Yogyakarta midwives on child trafficking charges
Both suspects were previously imprisoned for 10 months for convictions on similar charges.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Police officers flank two women accused of child trafficking, identified as DM and JE, during a press conference at the Yogyakarta Police headquarters in Yogyakarta on Dec. 12, 2024. (Kompas.com/Yustinus Wijaya Kusuma)
The Yogyakarta Police have arrested two midwives, identified DM, 77, and JE, 44, on charges of illegally trafficking babies.
DM is a midwife and the owner of a maternity home, while JE was employed by DM at the home. Both suspects were previously imprisoned for 10 months for convictions on similar charges.
The police say they seized records indicating that the two women had been selling babies since 2010. Over those 14 years, the two allegedly sold 66 babies.
"The modus operandi was to find adopters or individuals interested in adopting, specifically couples who were looking to adopt through the suspects," Yogyakarta Police general crimes chief detective Sr. Comr. FX Endriadi said at a press conference on Thursday, as quoted by kompas.com.
"The suspects would receive or take the child from women or mothers who handed them over. The child would then be cared for, and afterward, an announcement would be made through the media stating that they were looking for parents who wanted to adopt the baby," he added.
The investigation began after the police received a report of baby trafficking at a maternity home in Tegalrejo district, Yogyakarta city.
DM and JE were reportedly found selling a baby girl on Dec. 2 for Rp 55 million (US$3,434) with a down payment of Rp 3 million.
When the police arrested DM and JE on Dec. 4, they found a 1.5-month-old baby girl in good health.
According to Endriadi, of the 66 babies sold, 28 were male, 36 were female and two had no recorded gender.
DM and JE allegedly sold the babies at varying prices, with male babies priced higher. Records seized by the police indicated that female babies were sold for Rp 55 million, while male babies were sold for between Rp 60 million and Rp 65 million.
The police said that according to handover documents at the maternity home, the babies were sold to clients across Indonesia.
"[The babies were trafficked] both within and outside of Yogyakarta city, including various regions such as Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Surabaya and others," Yogyakarta Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Nugroho said, as reported by detik.com.
Yogyakarta Police general crimes deputy chief detective Adj. Sr. Comr. K Tri Panungko said DM coordinated with buyers and birth parents while JE was taking care of the babies.
“The birth parents really did want to sell their babies using the midwives as the mediators,” he said, as quoted by detik.com.
The two suspects have been charged under Articles 83 and 76F of the Child Protection Law. They face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
