World · East Asia & Pacific · 4 hrs ago
Couple arrested in Indonesia over alleged exploitation of seven girls
Police in East Java arrested a married couple accused of trafficking and sexually exploiting seven girls.
The girls were aged 13 to 17 and came from Central and West Java.
One suspect allegedly offered some of them karaoke jobs in East Java, and they accepted amid financial hardship and after leaving school.
Once in Jember, the girls were allegedly forced to have sex with men for the couple’s profit, and each was said to have been made to serve more than 15 men.
Four girls escaped to a bus terminal, where staff alerted police; officers later found and rescued the other three in Jember.
The couple face charges under Indonesia’s human-trafficking, child-protection and sexual-violence laws, which carry possible prison terms of five to 15 years.
Police are checking for more victims and investigating how much money the couple may have made.
A couple from Jember, Indonesia, were arrested on suspicion of trafficking and exploiting seven girls.
The girls were aged 13 to 17 and came from Central Java and West Java.
Police say the couple lured them with offers of karaoke work in East Java, then forced them to provide sexual services.
The alleged exploitation lasted one to two weeks, and each girl was believed to have been made to serve more than 15 men.
Four girls escaped and raised the alarm, leading police to rescue the other three.
- Who
- A married couple identified as WJ, 37, and IM, 52, were arrested. The seven girls were aged 13 to 17.
- What
- The couple are suspected of trafficking and sexually and economically exploiting the girls.
- When
- The arrest was reported on October 16, 2026. The alleged exploitation lasted one to two weeks.
- Where
- The case involved Jember, East Java. The girls came from Central Java and West Java.
- Why
- Police say the couple sought personal profit. The girls accepted the job offer after facing economic hardship and leaving school.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
One suspect offered several girls from the same village in Central Java jobs at a karaoke venue in East Java.
Police say the girls were exploited and forced to provide sexual services.
Four girls fled Jember to Purabaya, or Bungurasih, Terminal in Sidoarjo, where terminal staff secured them and reported the case.
Police rescued the other three girls in Jember and arrested the couple.
- Suspects
- WJ, 37, and IM, 52
- Number of girls
- 7
- Girls' ages
- 13 to 17
- Girls' origins
- Central Java and West Java
- Alleged exploitation period
- 1 to 2 weeks
- Potential prison sentence
- 5 to 15 years
2 sources
What people are saying
Their role was to economically and sexually exploit children by selling them to men for personal gain.
Each of these child victims had already served more than 15 people.
The minimum sentence is 5 years and the maximum is 15 years.