Asian Studies student work at Murdoch University


David Wyatt


For David Wyatt, the opportunity to study in Indonesia began as a chance to build on his language studies and ended with him up writing a valuable report on human trafficking in Asia and the Middle East.

Three years into his Bachelor of Asian Studies degree, David applied for the ACICIS in-country program in Indonesia.

“My travel to Indonesia for study was prompted largely by a conversation with Dr David Hill who, after firstly introducing me to the Bachelor of Asian Studies program at Murdoch, explained how the ACICIS in country program would help bolster my language skills, as well as set me up in good stead for future studies – I had been studying the language for three years at Murdoch as part of the program.

I have travelled quite a bit before but never had the chance to really ‘live’ in another country. By staying there for 12 months as a student and learning the language, you feel rather more of an active participant within the community, rather than a tourist. The understanding gained is far deeper this way."

David’s study in Indonesia culminated in his field study – a 10,000 word report based on primary research conducted within a student’s field.

I was looking for something that could hopefully be of some practical use, something that could possibly help me get a job later down the track or provide a path that I could follow in the future. My initial information-gathering about the subject absolutely stunned me. I was shocked to find out that in effect, the slave trade was not over. I was alarmed to find out on my initial research that human trafficking was the third biggest Illegal industry in the world, and that the United Nations agency charged with tackling the problem – the United Nations office of drugs and crime (UNODC) – openly admitted to having little understanding of this phenomenon as compared to drug and gun trafficking.

After my initial information gathering, I began arranging interviews with and meeting people from the agencies that are (or should) be managing the problem. After meeting with all of the different groups of interest (which saw me travel to Jogyakarta, Jakarta and Malang) I sat down to put the results down and try and come to some sort of conclusion. The end result was a 13,000 word report in the Indonesian language with the title Combating human trafficking In Indonesia.

The report makes a series of recommendations, including the formation of a specific police department based on a similar model to the Indonesian police departments that tackle drugs and terrorism. The final conclusion really rested on the fact that in Indonesia, there appears to be millions of people being exploited as a result of Human Trafficking, but very little being done to catch the perpetrators or criminals within the actual process of recruitment and distribution. The number of arrests for criminals was less than 200 at the time of my research, compared to the millions of people being exploited.”

David’s research saw him forming solid networks within UNODC in Indonesia, Thailand and Vienna, and he has since been asked to translate his project into English on the UN’s request.

“I hope to continue this research throughout my life and help put an end to this most evil phenomenon. This project was without a doubt the most fulfilling thing I have done in my life."