The babies caught between Singapore and Indonesia - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service

It's an unimaginable situation where a couple adopts a baby. after many years of trying to have a child, only to be told that that child may have been trafficked. And yet, Tessa, this is the situation that some couples here in Singapore. are facing at the moment. That's right Mariko. At least 12 babies are thought to have been allegedly trafficked. from Indonesia into Singapore to be adopted by couples here. And they are part of a larger group of 20 babies that are thought. to have been trafficked from Indonesia.

There's a trial that's happening in Indonesia right now in West Java, with a total of 19 people accused of taking part. in this alleged trafficking ring. They denied the charges, though. This is not the first time, though, is it, that authorities in Indonesia are accusing parents of selling children. So we're asking what motivates a parent to take this drastic step, and can this practice ever be stopped? I'm Mariko in Singapore and this is Asia Specific from the BBC World Service.

Twice a week we bring you Asia Pacific stories. unpacked by those who know them best. And today I have two BBC journalists who've been looking. into this case at Tessa Wong in Singapore. Welcome back to Asia Specific. Thanks for having me again. I also have Ajeng Astudestra in Jakarta. Thank you so much for coming back on the pod, Ajeng. Great to be here. So Ajeng, if you can just explain to us about this high profile case. of alleged baby trafficking between Indonesia and Singapore.

I know the case is still ongoing and we don't have a verdict yet, but if you can tell us the basic details that we know so far. Okay, so this is one of the biggest baby trafficking cases. in Indonesia in recent years. And you're right, this case is right now still ongoing in a court in West Java. So on the court, the prosecutors allege that a trafficking network. in Indonesia have obtained babies from their biological parents, then arrange for some of those children to be adopted.

Some goes within Indonesia, but some then ends up legally adopted in Singapore. They also say that this network have allegedly falsified some documents, like birth certificate and then family card. and the papers that is needed for a legal adoptions. And, you know, this is, basically the prosecutor say that all of this practice. is bypassing Indonesia's strict legal procedures on adoption.

The police don't even know where to find, where to begin and what the motivations are. But when I spoke to an official in Indonesia, there are many cases that. these women are being coerced to give up their babies. So, Tessa, I guess what was surprising about this case. was this link with Singapore, which is known for very strict laws, but also strict enforcement of those laws.

So how did this happen? Because those babies that were allegedly trafficked, they were legally adopted by couples here in Singapore. Yes. That's right. So there's been a lot of questions raised about this case. ever since it came to light a year ago. Several lawmakers have raised questions about them, about this case in Parliament. And usually a lot of these checks are quite rigorous. More than two thirds of the adoptions that happen in Singapore every year.

of children, therefore, children who are born elsewhere. So you can imagine there's already a system in place. So there have been a lot of questions about that. That's correct. So basically those birth certificates may have been forged allegedly. And no one on the Singapore side realised it. Or is it that prosecutors in Indonesia alleging. that some of those adoption agencies in Singapore, were they aware? What's going on here? So what's come out in court is. that there were at least four Singaporean collaborators.

The alleged ringleader of the trafficking ring in Indonesia. has said that she was approached by four people. in Singapore who proposed the scheme to her. So we do know that there have been some Singaporeans involved in this, and we also understand that there is an adoption agency. that has been involved in bringing these children over here to Singapore. And yes, it's transpired that some of these documents have been falsified,

if not all of the documents, you know, such as birth certificates and adoption documents. And it appears that, yes, at least some of those documents were, you know, taken to be real and therefore were approved. Those documents are also genuinely legal. in Indonesia because they went through a proper channel. What is falsified is the information that someone has to put. when you register the form to Indonesians institution.

So in that sense, the documents are all legal, but the information in the documents are false. And that's, yeah, sort of like where the prosecutor's heading. Who are the other defendants? Can you just tell us how many there are? Who, what roles they played and what they have said so far. There are 19 defendants currently on trial. 18 of them were are women.

And then the alleged ringleader is a woman in her 70s. And the prosecutors say that she recruited the different people. for different roles. There are brokers. whose main job is to find the babies from the biological parents. And then there's also a fake mothers. So these fake mothers would eventually put the name. of the baby in the family card.

and birth certificate as the genuine biological mother. Ajeng, how did this case first come to light? How did we, how did we find out about this alleged trafficking? So it started last year when this man came to the police in West Java and. said that his son has been kidnapped. The police took that report and then questioned this man. What happened, right? And this man goes on saying that, "oh, you know, I've been joining this group.

for people who's looking for babies to be adopted.". And then he said he was approached by a woman. This woman told him that she has been married for years, but was unable to have children on her own. And then she said, "so, can I adopt your son? I will take care of him. He will live with me, etc.". And then she also said that she will cover all the fees. for birth to the biological mom.

And at that point, this man believes. And he accepted that money. The woman also promised him to send, to transfer more money. But then before they could have that transaction, this woman disappeared with the baby just days after the baby was born. Apparently, this woman is a broker, and from the investigation, she has successfully obtained,

like dozens of babies. Some end up in Singapore. So it was over the payment. It was over money. Not actually about him not wanting to, I guess, let his child go. Tessa, you've spoken to a couple here in Singapore who adopted a baby. And yet now they're not sure whether he may have been trafficked.

Can you just tell us about the ordeal that they had to go through? Yes. That's right. So I managed to find a couple. whose baby may very well likely be one of the 20 babies that is alleged. to have been trafficked by this ring bound for Singapore. Bear in mind, as Ajeng said earlier, there might be. even more babies trafficked by this ring, but within Indonesia. But for the purposes of our story, 20 of them were bound for Singapore.

And so, I spoke to this couple. They told me, you know, they had engaged an adoption agency. that had recommended them, a child from Indonesia. They decide to adopt this child, and they've been raising this child for years now. And then last year, when this case came to light, they were called in by. the Singapore immigration officials, they said. And then they were told that their child might be one of these children. Since then, since the case has begun hearing.

in West Java, Ajeng and I have gone through the court documents, and we have found clear signs that this is the case, that their child may very well be one of the children that's been trafficked. As his full Indonesian name appears in Indonesian court documents. It's been harrowing for this couple. They've asked for full anonymity. They didn't want their identities to be revealed. because they fear jeopardising their chances to keep their child. Because you know what is at stake.

You know, after this trial ends, no matter what the verdict is, is the question of what will happen to the children, right? If they are proven to have indeed have been trafficked from Indonesia. to Singapore, then the question is, should, should the children stay in Singapore with their adoptive parents, or should they return to Indonesia to their birth parents? And so that's a huge question. That is very real. It's a very anxiety inducing question for the families in Singapore. who have adopted these children.

They say, you know, they did it all in good faith. They had no idea that these children could have been trafficked. And now they are placed in what is, quite frankly, a nightmare scenario for them. In terms of the amount of money that the couple in Singapore has paid. in order to legally adopt a baby from Indonesia, versus how much those biological parents may have been paid. Can you, I mean, I know that the case is still ongoing,

and, you know, you probably can't put the exact price on it, but can you just explain the kind of the difference. in the sum that we're talking about? Yeah. I mean, you know, this case actually involves large sums of money. So the ringleader, the alleged ringleader of the trafficking ring. has actually testified in court saying that, you know, when she was approached by these Singaporean Counterparts who wanted to kind of do the scheme with her. They said that, you know, they could find people who could pay. at least 17,000 SGD for each baby.

Right. And the couple that I interviewed, they told me they paid tens of thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, you know, the biological parents, some of them are very poor. From what we understand, they can end up with very little of that money. They may see very little of those sums. One man who testified in court. for this case, you know, said that he was given, you know, the equivalent of about three to 500 USD. And that he was expecting a little bit more after that as well.

You know, but that gives you an idea of how much money is being paid. for these babies unwittingly, and how much of that money actually ends up with the biological parents. A lot of it then just gets absorbed or taken by those in the middle. You mentioned this adoption agency in Singapore. I assume you've tried to approach them. What have they told you if they said anything? Yes. This agency actually has been named by the Indonesian branch of Interpol.

We have approached them for comment. They are, as of this week, still a live business. They're still operating in Singapore, technically. They've declined all comment. We've also gone to the Singapore government. We asked them, you know, are they investigating the alleged collaborators that worked. with the alleged ringleader of the trafficking ring in Indonesia. We also asked them. about the adoption agency that allegedly handled the babies in Singapore.

They said that they could not answer. because the case is pending in Indonesia. As to the main question about, you know, how could this case have happened in the first place in Singapore, they have given answers in Parliament before as well as to the media. They have said that, you know, basically there needs to be due diligence done by adoption agencies. and by parents who are adopting from Singapore. And they have also promised to do a review of adoption processes.

in the future. Ajeng, I'm just curious to know, you said this case came to light because this father complained. about the lack of the second payment. Is it common for parents to give up their babies. and put them up for adoption? If we're talking about trafficking cases, then. child trafficking cases still a persistent problem in Indonesia. This case is just one of many that just happened.

We count seven other cases that happened in the last two years. And you know, culturally speaking, Indonesia is a very high social, you know, society. And so giving up your children to live with somebody else's family. is somehow a common thing to do. So, for example, and this happened mostly in rural areas. where people with a weak economy would send their children.

to a wealthier relatives in other cities, or to live with their grandparents. And they would say, like, you know, these children would have a better livelihood. or better future if they live in a bigger city or other places. But it doesn't mean that trafficking case is acceptable. But it does, you know, blur the lines between like illegal intentions.

and wrongdoings and a genuine, you know, transfer of care for these children. One expert that Ajeng spoke to, you know, had talked about the lack of facilities where, you know, it makes it easier. for families or for unwed mothers to give up their babies. You know, baby boxes, which, you know, can be found. in some other countries, but they don't exist in Indonesia. And so because of the lack of structural or rather, should I say,

because of some structural issues, right. So is poverty, a lack of access to resources. You know, this practice sort of is still quite prevailing. in some parts of Indonesia and other parts of Asia as well. Longer term, given this very high profile case, which, as you said, shocked many people, especially in Singapore, what do you think the Singapore government will likely to do. in terms of the adoption process, where they make it?

I mean, I don't know what they could have done to realise. that these documents, the information was false. But what is the government likely to do in Singapore? So the Singapore government has actually answered, you know, some of the questions that have been raised. You know, essentially, how could this have happened in Singapore? They've said that, you know, they're going to take a review, they're going to do a review of the adoption processes. They're going to see where they can, you know, strengthen and tighten checks. But, you know, in response to how could this have happened in the first place,

they have said that, you know, essentially the adoption agencies. and the parents were adopting need to do their due diligence. Now, of course, there are counterargument to that is. that for the parents, you know, especially, you know, the couple that I interviewed, they said this to me as well. You know, it's the first time that they're adopting, you know, and they're not the experts on this. The government, however, you know, deals with adoptions, adoption applications almost every day. And so, the owners should be on the government to have done its checks.

What kind of conversation has this case sparked in Indonesia, given how you said this is not the only case, there are many other cases of alleged baby trafficking, And yet those informal adoptions that we talked about. are still quite common culturally. So what do you think might happen because of this case? The people in Indonesia, because we've seen so many similar cases of baby trafficking is,

of course, they want the government to take more strict measures. and have a good like mitigation plan on, you know, like solving this problem from the roots. because as you say, the problem is, you know, it's not a single thing. It's a layers of different things. You know, the social stigma, the poverty, the availability.

of access to support. And so it needs the government to be. one voice in dealing with all of these different problems. Also, the biggest question right now is also where the baby is going to end up. And from the previous cases in different cities, you know, these babies, when the police have rescued them, they are under the state care, even though the police have already know who's the biological parents is.

It's not that easy to just, you know, give the baby. back to the biological parents. In this case specifically, it's even more difficult because these brokers. that we talked about has obtained so many babies that she herself, according to the police, forget which babies belongs to which parents. So it's, you know, it's a future full of uncertainties to these babies.

So, you know, some Indonesian activists that, you know, Ajeng and I spoke to, you know, they argue that as a matter of principle, the babies in this particular case should be returned to Indonesia. And I think one police official even told Ajeng. that, you know, it's a matter of national pride, right? Because I think it's about the signal that you send if you allow. traffic babies to stay. If they were found or proven in court to have been trafficked, that is.

But, you know, there's also a flip side to that argument, which is that, as you've pointed out earlier, you know, most of these babies, at least the ones in Singapore, you know, they have spent most of their lives in Singapore. by now because they were brought here as babies, right. And now they've grown up to be young children. So there's the question of, do you separate them from the parents that they have only ever known? You know, I spoke to a psychologist, a child psychologist, and he said that, you know, when you have multiple disruptions. in a child's life early on and,

you know this as well as I do, you know, we're both mothers. You know, it's those are very formative years, right? And that can cause severe effects down the line. It can cause trauma, it can cause attachment issues as well. So there's a lot to think about. When do we expect this case to close? When are we likely to find out the verdict,Tessa? So the trial has been going on for several weeks already. It's expected to wrap up by the end of this month. We're going to hear a verdict very soon. And we then expect, you know,

with the outcome of this case, we can then expect for more answers from. the Singapore and Indonesian governments about what will happen to the babies. It's such an agonising wait, isn't it, for those, especially Singaporean couples. who are waiting to find out what will happen to those babies. Thank you so much for sharing your insights, Tessa and Ajeng. You've been watching Asia Specific from the BBC World Service. with me, Mariko Oi in Singapore. If you have any questions or thoughts on what we covered in this episode.

or any other stories from the region, please leave us a comment below. You can also get in touch with us on email asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk. and click like and subscribe so you never miss an episode. See you next time.