East Java govt to help divorcees<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): The East Java government has decided to provide
\ntraining and Rp 200,000 (US$44) in business capital to every
\ndivorced woman or widow in the province, in an effort to curb
\nprostitution.<\/p>\n
Head of the provincial office of social services Nandi
\nSugandhi revealed the plan here yesterday after meeting with East
\nJava Governor Basofi Soedirman.<\/p>\n
\"The main target (of the project) are young divorcees and
\nwidows who are vulnerable to social ills,\" Nandi said. \"They are
\neasily trapped into prostitution... because of economic
\ndifficulties.\"<\/p>\n
There are an estimated 120,000 widows or divorcees in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Family Welfare Movement activists and Dharma Wanita -- the
\norganization of civil servants' wives or female employees -- will
\nselect the divorcees or widows from across the province to be
\nincluded in the project.<\/p>\n
Regions in East Java which are considered most prone to social
\nproblems include Blitar and Trenggalek.<\/p>\n
The women, Nandi said, will be trained in beauty care, sewing
\nor cooking. They are expected to start a business of their own
\nwith the money given to them.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately, the government is only able to help 100 women
\nin the first year of this project,\" Nandi said.<\/p>\n
He expressed concern at the high number of financially
\nstrapped young divorcees and widows involved in prostitution,
\nwhile the local administration could not do more to help.<\/p>\n
The project is being launched to mark National Social
\nSolidarity Day on Dec. 20. Basofi Soedirman applauded the
\ninitiative, saying: \"It's now time for us to treat social
\nproblems in a realistic manner. Rather than passing the blame, we
\nshould help those facing economic difficulties with something
\nconcrete.\"<\/p>\n
In their book Pelacuran di Indonesia (Prostitution in
\nIndonesia, 1994), Terrence H. Hull, Endang Sulistyaningsih and
\nGavin W. Jone said that East Java has 14,190 sex workers -- the
\nhighest number compared to other regions. There are an estimated
\n71,281 prostitutes in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Of the 14,190 sex workers in East Java, about 5,000 are
\nscattered in five red-light districts in Surabaya. (nur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-java-govt-to-help-divorcees-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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