VZCZCXRO5056
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1906/01 2880807
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140807Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0317
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
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RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 3152
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 5004
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RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2598
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 3160
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 3019
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 1192
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001906 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, DRL, DRL/IL 
(MMITTELHAUSER) 
NSC FOR EPHU 
DEPT OF LABOR FOR ILAB/OCFT EMUIRRAGUI, ILAB BSASSER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ELAB ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA -- NOMINATION FOR DOL AWARD FOR ELIMINATION OF 
CHILD LABOR 
 
REF: A. STATE 99123 
     ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3359 
 
JAKARTA 00001906  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  Mission Jakarta nominates Seto Mulyadi, a 
campaigner for child protection, for the USDOL Iqbal Masih Award for 
Elimination of Child Labor.  Details of his leadership in the area 
of child protection follow.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE NOMINEE 
 
¶2.  (U) Nominee: 
a.  Name: Mr. Seto Mulyadi 
b. Title: Chair 
c. Organization: National Commission for Child Protection 
d. Address: Jl. TB Simatupang No. 33, Pasar Rebo, Jakarta Timur, 
13760, Indonesia 
e. Telephone/fax/e-mail: tel: (62-21) 840-0573; fax: 841-6158; 
e-mail: komnaspa@rad.net.id 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
 
¶3.  (U) Background:  Child psychologist, former children's talk show 
host, and founder of an elementary school for home schooled 
children, Seto Mulyadi has chaired the National Commission for Child 
Protection (Child Commission or Komnas Anak) since 1998.  Because of 
his intrepid work to rescue children from the worst forms of child 
labor, he has been barraged with life threatening phone calls and 
his office was destroyed by arson in early 1998.  The fire destroyed 
thousands of records, computers and furniture, forcing the Child 
Commission to start from scratch.  Due to his efforts, Seto Mulyadi 
is a worthy recipient of the Iqbal Masih Award. 
 
RESCUING CHILDREN FROM SLAVERY 
 
¶4.  (U) Over the past 10 years, Mulyadi and a small staff have 
uncovered cases of the worst forms of child labor involving tens of 
thousands of children, rescuing many of them.  Mulyadi's Child 
Commission also operates a child protection hotline, and carries out 
campaigns to protect children from abuse, smoking, pornography, etc. 
 In the past year alone, Mulyadi personally: 
 
-- Undertook dangerous trips in early 2008 to the jungles of the 
Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) region in order to document children 
enslaved in illegal logging camps.  His findings were nationally 
publicized.  He continues to fight for action to rescue these 
children. 
 
-- Led a fact-finding team in August 2008 to plantations in 
Malaysian Borneo (Sabah) in order to uncover the situation of tens 
of thousands of children allegedly trapped in bonded labor on 
plantations.  The investigation received widespread national and 
regional publicity.  The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta announced in 
September 2008 that it was jointly investigating the situation with 
the Indonesian Consulate in Sabah, in response to Child Commission 
findings. 
 
-- Penetrated hidden factories in Jakarta where kidnapped children 
worked round the clock behind locked gates processing birds' nests 
to export for birds nest soup (Ref B).  Mulyadi persisted despite 
police unwillingness to cooperate, finally convincing authorities to 
raid one factory, rescuing a dozen young children and arresting the 
traffickers.  The Child Commission team continues to investigate 
other hidden factories which exploit child labor, working to gather 
enough evidence to convince authorities to act. 
 
¶5. (U) In previous years, Mulyadi led efforts to document and rescue 
children trapped in sex slavery throughout Indonesia.  Following the 
December 2004 tsunami in Aceh, he led efforts to prevent orphaned 
children from being trafficked and set up a children's trauma 
center. 
 
A LEADER'S WIDE IMPACT 
 
¶6.  (U) Dozens of NGOs and individuals in Indonesia are carrying out 
 
JAKARTA 00001906  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
local efforts to rescue children from the worst forms of child labor 
but the Child Commission Anak leads in the scope and impact of its 
efforts.  It systematically investigates some of the worst cases and 
through cooperation with authorities and publicity the Child 
Commission has succeeded in bringing terrible conditions to light 
and rescuing children.  This is largely thanks to the leadership of 
Seto Mulyadi.  For his efforts and to support his work in the 
future, Mission strongly nominates him for this prestigious award. 
 
 
¶7. (U) Mulyadi is aware of this nomination and approves it. 
HEFFERN