Indonesia police advance facial‑recognition database and arrests in child sexual exploitation cases

The Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) is urging the government to create a facial‑recognition database of children to speed up identification and rescue of victims of online sexual exploitation. AKBP Ema Rahmawati said the lack of an integrated child‑face database hampers investigations, noting that police receive about 1.5 million digital exploitation reports annually from the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The unit also proposes a dedicated multi‑agency task force, citing models in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.

In a separate operation in Sampang, East Java, police have arrested 13 of the 27 suspects accused of raping a 15‑year‑old girl. The latest suspect, a 17‑year‑old identified only as “W”, was seized in the town square. Fourteen other suspects remain at large. Authorities have formed a special investigative team, supported by the East Java Police, to intensify the search and urge the public to supervise children closely.

Both initiatives reflect an intensified police effort to combat child sexual exploitation in Indonesia through technology, specialized units, and extensive arrests.