Reports from Indonesia’s Sumba island describe ongoing hereditary slavery, despite slavery being illegal in the territory of present-day Indonesia for more than 160 years. The coverage says some people are born into bondage and work from dawn to dusk without pay. Sources describe enslaved people being passed on through marriage and subject to physical and sexual abuse by those who hold them. One enslaved man interviewed, identified as Kanisius Kanyali Hambarita, describes the difficulty of escaping because his status “cannot be wiped away.” The reports characterize many enslaved people as resigned to their situation, while also highlighting a desire for freedom for the next generation. Inquirer.net and the South China Morning Post both frame the situation as a continuing daily reality on Sumba, located roughly two hours from Bali’s tourist areas, and cite accounts consistent with hereditary status, unpaid labor, and abuse. Both outlets report that the practice persists in spite of longstanding illegality, indicating gaps in enforcement and protection for people affected by bonded servitude.
Slavery persists on Indonesia’s Sumba island, rights groups report
Reports from Indonesia’s Sumba island describe ongoing hereditary slavery, despite slavery being illegal in the territory of present-day Indonesia for more than 160 years. The coverage says some peopl...
- Slavery is reported to persist on Indonesia’s Sumba island.
- Some individuals are described as being born into hereditary bondage.
- Enslaved people are said to work from dawn to dusk without pay.
- The reports describe enslaved people being passed on through marriage and facing abuse, including beatings and rape.
- Both outlets note that slavery has been illegal in present-day Indonesia for more than 160 years.
Two hours from the tourist beaches of Bali, slavery is alive and well on the Indonesian island of Sumba, where people are still born into bondage. They work from dawn to dusk without pay, are passed on in marriage, and are sometimes beaten and raped by their masters. Yet most are resigned to their fate because their status “cannot be wiped away”, as one young slave – or ata – Kanisius Kanyali Hambarita said. Slavery has been illegal in what is now Indonesia for more than 160 years, but it...
9 hours agoPARIS — Two hours from the tourist beaches of Bali, slavery is alive and well on the Indonesian island of Sumba, where people are still born into bondage. They work from dawn to dusk without pay, are passed on in marriage and are sometimes beaten and raped by their masters. Yet most are resigned to their fate because their status “cannot be wiped away”, as one young slave — or “ata” — Kanisius Kanyali Hambarita told AFP. READ: ‘Tortured’ Indonesian maid listed on Time’s top 100 Slavery has been illegal in what is now Indonesia for more than 160 years, […]...Keep on reading: Inside Indonesia's slave island: 'I want my children to be free'
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