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Prostitution in Indonesia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prostitution in Indonesiais legally considered a "crime against decency/morality", although it is widely practiced, tolerated and even regulated in some areas.[1]Some women are financially motivated to become prostitutes, while others may be forced by friends, relatives or strangers. Traditionally, they have met with customers in entertainment venues or special prostitution complexes, orlokalisasi(localization). However, recently internet forums andFacebookhave been used to facilitate prostitute-clientrelations. In recent years,child sex tourismhas become an issue at the resort islands ofBatamandBali.

Female sex tourismalso emerged in the late 20th century in Bali, where young Balinese male sex workers meet with Japanese,[2]European, and Australian women.[3]UNAIDSestimate there to be 226,791 prostitutes in the country.[4]

Causes

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In Indonesia, one of the main reasons for a prostitute to enter the business is the appeal of earning money quickly.The Jakarta Postreported that high-end prostitutes inJakartacould earn Rp 15 million–Rp 30 million (USD 1,755 to 3,510) monthly, able to charge more than Rp 3 million (USD 350) per session for their services. Those entering prostitution for money come from both middle-class and poor families.[5]

Another major cause isforced prostitution.Young women are offered employment opportunities in major cities, then raped and forced to prostitute themselves while paying money to their pimps.[6]They may also be sold by their parents. TheInternational Labour Organization(ILO) reports that roughly 70 percent of Indonesianchild prostitutesare brought into the trade by their family or friends.[7]

Forms

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Prostitution exists in many forms and is practiced by many different sexes,genders,orientationsand ages. Bali, for example, is known for its "Kuta Cowboys", male sex workers who solicit foreign tourists.[8]

Prostitution encompasses various sexual orientations. The most common is heterosexual female prostitution, thoughtransvestiteand malehomosexualprostitution also exist to a lesser extent.Child prostitutionalso exists in certain tourism resort islands, such as Batam and Bali. It is estimated that 40,000 to 70,000 Indonesian children engage in prostitution within the country.[9]

Prostitutes sometimes work inbrothels,some with over 200 prostitutes. The last largered-light districtcontaining many brothels was Gang Dolly inSurabaya,one of the largest in Southeast Asia,[10]which closed in 2014.[11]Prostitutes can be found indiscotheques,massage parlours,andkaraoke rooms,[12]and also visible on certainstreets.They can also be booked via telephone.[13]

Online prostitution is also common. InInternet forums,prostitutes andpornographyare offered to registered members of good standing, as measured by their activity on the forum. A senior member of the forum posts a "free report" offering a description of the member's experience with a prostitute; contact information is provided upon request by private message. Prostitution rings onFacebookhave also been reported.[14]

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Number of registered prostitutes in Indonesia, from 1984 to 1995

Prostitution is not specifically addressed in the law. However, many officials interpreted "crimes against decency/morality" to apply to prostitution. Prostitution is widespread and largely tolerated, despite its contradiction with popular societal and religious norms[15]Prostitution is most visibly manifested in Indonesia’sbrothelcomplexes, orlokalisasi,which are found throughout the country.[16]These brothels are managed under local government regulations.[17]During or after raids by the police, the prostitutes are able to pay and be released from custody; this has led to police raids being called "nothing more than an income source for public order officers".[18]

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) estimates that 30 percent of the prostitutes in Indonesia are below 18 years of age.[19]The ILO puts the total number of child prostitutes inJakartaat 5,000; according to the Jakarta city government, this is concentrated in Prumpung (North Jakarta), Grogol (West Jakarta) Tanah Abang (Central Jakarta), Block M (South Jakarta), as well as Jatinegara and Ciracas (bothEast Jakarta).[7]Child sex tourismoccurs, especially on the resort islands of Bali andBatam.[20][21]

History

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Masalah "P",a 1952 book by the Social Ministry of Indonesia on prostitution

One of the earliest reports of prostitution in ancient Indonesia is from a Chinese source. TheTang dynastyCh'iu-T'ang shu and Hsin T'ang shu historical records, which originated circa 640 CE, reported that in the country ofHo-lingin Java, there were a number of "poisonous women". Those who had sex with these harlots would suffer festering wounds and die afterwards. This was the earliest record of prostitution and its connection withsexually-transmitted diseasein ancient Java.[22]: 119 

Little is known about precolonial Indonesia's prostitution, although the purchase ofsex slavesand "quasi-contractual" sexual relations are thought to have occurred. Following thespread of Islam in Indonesia,prostitution is thought to have increased due to Islam's disapproval ofcontractual weddings.[23]Javanese kings kept large stables ofconcubines,while Balinese widows without familial support could be forced into prostitution by their king.[24]

Serat Centhini,an early 19th century Javanese manuscript, refers to the prostitution business in Central Java and Yogyakarta. The manuscript describes various sexual positions and techniques mastered by prostitutes in Java in order to satisfy their clients. Serat Centhini also says that there was once a thrivingbrothelnear the royal tomb ofImogiri.[25]

During the early Dutch colonial period, European men wishing to find sexual gratification began hiring native prostitutes orconcubines;this was accepted by financially motivated local women as well as some families, who volunteered their daughters. Becauseinterracial marriagewas discouraged or outright forbidden, this arrangement was accepted by Dutch leaders.[24]

Widespread prostitution began in the early 1800s, when the number of concubines kept by theRoyal Netherlands East Indies soldiersandgovernment officialsdeclined; native men leaving their wives to look for work in other areas also contributed to its rise.[23]In 1852 the colonial government began requiring regular health checks of prostitutes to check forsyphilisand other venereal diseases; prostitutes also had to carry identification cards. These did not curb the growth of prostitution, which increased dramatically during a period of extensive construction in the late 1800s.[26]

The 1852 law was later replaced by another, more stringent,public moralitylaw in 1913, which criminalized "purposely bring[ing] about the fornication of others with a third party and make this his profession", or pimping; no mention was made of prostitutes. Enforcement of these laws proved more nearly impossible, and for a period of time investigation of brothels required a permit from the governor.[27]

During theJapanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies,existing prostitutes were selected to serve the Japanese army in special brothels. Other women and girls, both native and Dutch, were forced to become "comfort women".After World War II, the migration of women from remote villages to cities, coupled with a high divorce rate, caused another increase in prostitution.[28]

Response

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Government response to prostitution in Indonesia has been varied. A common response is to attempt banning it and closing brothels.[29]Another proposed response is the ta xing of prostitutes' fees; such proposals have met controversy, with the revenues being consideredharaam.[30]

Effects

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Prostitution has been blamed for the increasingHIV/AIDSrates in various parts of Indonesia, includingCentral Java[12]and Bali. A lack of health control in brothels[12]and a lack of condom use have been blamed;[13]in 2010 the Bali AIDS commission reported that only 40% of clients used protection.[13]

Prostitutes themselves may fall victim to psycho-social problems, such asmultiple personality disorder.When servicing customers or dealing with their pimps, they may be physically and mentally abused. They are also at risk of catching HIV/AIDS.[7]

Sex trafficking

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See also:Sex trafficking in Indonesia

Indonesia is a major source, and to a much lesser extent, destination and transit country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking. Each of its 34 provinces is a source and destination of trafficking. Indonesian women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking, primarily in Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Middle East. Many women and girls are exploited in sex trafficking. Victims are often recruited with offers of jobs in restaurants, factories, or domestic service, but are subjected to sex trafficking. Debt bondage is particularly prevalent among sex trafficking victims. Women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking near mining operations in Maluku, Papua, and Jambi provinces. Child sex tourism is prevalent in the Riau Islands bordering Singapore, and Bali is a destination for Indonesians traveling to engage in child sex tourism.[31]

TheUnited States Department of StateOffice to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Personsranks Indonesia as a 'Tier 2' country.[31]

See also

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References

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Footnotes
  1. ^"Sex Work Law".Sexuality, Poverty and Law Programme.Retrieved26 November2017.
  2. ^"Women who travel for sex: Sun, sea and gigolos".The Independent.9 July 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2008.Retrieved22 December2017.
  3. ^"Bali Beach Gigolos Under Fire".Asia Sentinel.4 May 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 19 September 2010.
  4. ^"Sex workers: Population size estimate - Number, 2016".aidsinfoonline.org.UNAIDS. Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2019.Retrieved21 July2018.
  5. ^Tampubolon 2010-11-23, Quick money.
  6. ^Gunawan 2006-05-23, Teen escapes.
  7. ^abcThe Jakarta Post 2005-07-25, Child prostitutes.
  8. ^Claire Harvey (5 May 2002)."'Kuta Cowboys' strutting their stuff for lovelorn visitors ".The Jakarta Post.Retrieved16 October2014.
  9. ^"Indonesia".humantrafficking.org. Archived fromthe originalon 16 September 2013.Retrieved16 October2014.
  10. ^Sri Lestari (18 June 2014)."Battle over Indonesian red-light district".Retrieved17 October2014.
  11. ^"Gang Dolly Is Done as SE Asia's Largest Red Light District Closes".Jakarta Globe.18 June 2014.Retrieved21 February2018.
  12. ^abcMaryono 2009-07-24, Prostitution fuels.
  13. ^abcDe Suriyani 2010-03-01, Bali faces.
  14. ^Tampubolon 2011-01-25, Prostitutes and porn.
  15. ^USDS: Indonesia.
  16. ^Intersections.
  17. ^Catw-Ap 2010-11-22, Facts and Statistics.
  18. ^Winarti 2008-12-26, Raids on prostitution.
  19. ^Rakhmat, Muhammad Zulfikar; Tarahita, Dikanaya (7 May 2017)."Indonesia's Child Trafficking Crisis - Asia Sentinel".Asia Sentinel.Retrieved14 April2018.
  20. ^CRIN, Violence study.
  21. ^Indonesiamatters, Bali Sex Tourism.
  22. ^Marwati Djoened Poesponegoro; Nugroho Notosusanto (2008).Sejarah Nasional Indonesia: Zaman Kuno(in Indonesian). Balai Pustaka.ISBN978-9794074084.OCLC318053182.
  23. ^abCribb & Kahin 2004,p. 357.
  24. ^abJones, Sulistyaningsih & Hull 1998,pp. 29–30.
  25. ^"Serat Centhini dan Sejarah Pelacuran di Yogyakarta – Warta Kebangsaan".perwara(in Indonesian).Retrieved12 July2018.
  26. ^Jones, Sulistyaningsih & Hull 1998,pp. 30–32.
  27. ^Jones, Sulistyaningsih & Hull 1998,p. 32.
  28. ^Jones, Sulistyaningsih & Hull 1998,pp. 32–34.
  29. ^The Jakarta Post 2006-06-28, Depok working.
  30. ^Fadli 2010-02-17, Legislator proposes.
  31. ^ab"Indonesia 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report".U.S. Department of State.Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2018.Retrieved28 July2018.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Bibliography
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