Ani Yudhoyono Calls for Fight against Human Trafficking

Opening the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organizations (ACWO) at the State Palace here on Friday, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono called for the eradication of woman and child trafficking.
"The women of ASEAN countries have to do something about human trafficking," the first lady said, adding that Southeast Asia has extensive area and adjacent to each other to allow very intensive interstate contacts.
Ani said there was still possible emergence of a number of crimes, especially human trafficking in the border regions if nothing was done about it. Therefore she called on the women grouped in ACWO to seriously support the human trafficking eradication movement in ASEAN region.
Ani’s call makes perfect sense because ACWO is an official organization with human trafficking eradication on top of its priority, in addition to environmental preservation and women’s economic empowerment. The policy of ACWO is also in line with the commitment of ASEAN leaders to combat human trafficking, especially on women and children.


The ASEAN commitment was stipulated in a statement, delivered on November 29, 2004 in Laos. In connection with environmental preservation, the Indonesian first lady suggested the need for expansion of "The Women Plant and Maintain" program which was run by the United Indonesia Cabinet Wives Solidarity (SIKIB).
Ani expressed hope that the tree planting program of SIKIB could be expanded to ASEAN region as "The ASEAN Women Plant and Maintain" program. The first lady opened the ACWO General Assembly which also marked inauguration of the "3rd ACWO Board Meeting & Kowani Fair 2001" organized by the Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kowani).
ACWO is a framework used to bring together women’s organizations in the ASEAN region to work towards the full integration of women in development. ACWO President who is concurrently general chairperson of Kowani, Dewi Motik Pramono, said the meeting was a venue where the women of ASEAN countries would exchange views at regional level.
"Indonesian women will play their greater role in both national and regional development process," Dewi said.
ACWO was formally established at a meeting in Jakarta on November 20, 1981 in conjunction with the reactivation of the ASEAN Women’s Program (AWP), the ASEAN Governments’ grouping charged with the responsibility of women in development programs.