JAKARTA, Indonesia - Fearing child-trafficking gangs will exploit the chaos of the tsunami disaster, Indonesia has placed restrictions on youngsters leaving the country, ordered police commanders to be on the lookout for trafficking and posted special guards in refugee camps.
UNICEF and other child welfare groups warn that the gangs - well-established in Indonesia - may well be whisking orphaned children into trafficking networks, selling them into forced labor or even sexual slavery in wealthier neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.
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Making matters worse, the hardest-hit area in Indonesia - Aceh - is not far from the port city of Medan and nearby island of Batam, which are well-known transit points for gangs shipping children and teenagers out of Indonesia.
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Bellamy applauded the government's announcement Monday that it was temporarily barring anyone from taking Acehnese children younger than 16 out of the country.
Children must stay in Aceh until all are registered, which could take a month. After that, they will be allowed to leave.
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