Saudi envoy denies report on prostitutes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdullah Abdulrahman
\nAlim has said there are no Indonesian women working as
\nprostitutes in his country, as reported in the press recently.<\/p>\n
"There are no Indonesian women working as prostitutes there,"
\nAmbassador Abdullah Abdulrahman Alim told the Republika newspaper
\nduring a gathering Monday in Cisarua, West Java, of Jakarta-based
\nambassadors from the Middle East.<\/p>\n
"The law in our country is very strict. It is impossible that
\nwe would let such immoral activities develop," he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's State Minister for Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi
\nsaid last Thursday she would visit Saudi Arabia soon to
\ninvestigate the plight of the "hundreds" of Indonesian women
\nallegedly working there as prostitutes. She did not disclose the
\nsource of her information.<\/p>\n
Alim regretted that the report on Indonesian prostitutes made
\nthe press without proper checking with his government.<\/p>\n
A long-time resident of Saudi Arabia, however, told The
\nJakarta Post yesterday that to his knowledge there were
\nIndonesian women prostitutes in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the former employee at
\nthe Indonesian consulate in Jeddah said that "as far as I know
\nthey've been there since 1992."<\/p>\n
Some of the Indonesian prostitutes were brought to the country
\nspecially for that purpose, he said, while others were women who,
\nfor various reasons, had fled their employers.<\/p>\n
"The women came to the consulate for protection," the source
\nsaid. "Outside, however, there were unscrupulous people waiting
\nto prey on them, scaring them with stories that if they went into
\nthe consulate, they would be returned to their employers and
\nmistreated.<\/p>\n
"Those unscrupulous people told the women that, with their
\nhelp, they could find new employers. One or two of the women did
\nget new employers, but the rest, scared and usually broke, were
\nforced into prostitution.<\/p>\n
"Indonesian men working as drivers there sometimes take
\n'tourists' to sites where Indonesian women work as prostitutes,"
\nthe source added.<\/p>\n
In the middle of last year there were 3,456 Indonesian men and
\n22,120 women working in Saudi Arabia. (tis\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/saudi-envoy-denies-report-on-prostitutes-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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