TRIBUNNEWS.COM, JAKARTA – So, like, this dude named Sugiat Santoso, Vice Chairman of Commission XIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, spilled the tea that the alleged human rights violations by Oriental Circus Indonesia (OCI) involve criminal elements, including child trafficking, exploitation, and torture. And get this, they want the police to reopen this case that was previously closed.
This bombshell was dropped after a meeting between Commission XIII of the House of Representatives and former OCI employees, the National Commission on Human Rights, the National Commission on Violence Against Women, and the Ministry of Human Rights.
“There are a ton of crimes related to this case. For example, it was found that since they were babies, like 2 years old, 5 years old, they were trafficked, let’s say by their parents to OCI and exploited to work as circus performers,” said Sugiat at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (23/4/2025).
Sugiat revealed that from various victim testimonies, there are strong indications of torture and various other forms of violence that they have experienced for years.
Even though the victims have been fighting for justice since 1997, they have yet to receive legal clarity to this day.
“And from their explanations, it turns out there are a lot of crimes, torture, and so on. They have been seeking justice since 1997. So, we want to ensure that in this period, especially during Pak Prabowo’s administration, his ‘Asta Cita’ is our top priority, we want to make sure that what they are looking for, justice, can be achieved in this period,” he said.
Commission XIII has agreed to push the police to reopen the investigation into the case, focusing on the indication of human trafficking.
Sugiat acknowledged that proving physical violence might be difficult, considering this case happened decades ago.
“If the focus is like I said, it could be related to human trafficking crimes. As for physical torture, because it’s been 28 years, it might be a bit difficult to find evidence or forensic reports. But OCI and former employees have agreed that since they were babies, they were already trafficked to OCI. I think that could be the way in,” said Sugiat.
He also emphasized the importance of the state’s presence in the recovery process for victims who have felt neglected and exploited since childhood.
According to him, based on victim testimonies, legal representatives, as well as investigations by the National Commission on Human Rights and the National Commission on Violence Against Women, this case is already considered a serious human rights violation.
“Based on the findings, I think the legal representatives, victims, and investigations by the National Commission on Human Rights and the National Commission on Violence Against Women have already shown that this is a serious human rights violation,” he said.
As a follow-up, Commission XIII has agreed to collaborate with the Ministry of Human Rights as the leading sector, along with the National Commission on Human Rights and the National Commission on Violence Against Women, to push the police to reopen this case.
“We agree that besides representing the victims, later the Ministry of Human Rights as the leading sector, the National Commission on Human Rights and the National Commission on Violence Against Women will collaborate with Commission XIII to urge the National Police Headquarters to reopen this case,” concluded Sugiat.
