Surabaya's flesh trade slashes fees<\/p>\n
By Ainur R. Sophiaan<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): The country's second-largest metropolis is
\nmaintaining its own slice of a certain lucrative business even as
\nthe crisis pinches daily household spending.<\/p>\n
While there are now more \"slow\" days for sex workers, they are
\nsurviving by offering discounts.<\/p>\n
Surabaya now has at least 10,000 sex workers in middle- and
\nupper-class red-light areas. Estimated figures, including workers
\noperating in cemeteries, at railway stations and along the
\ntracks, have reached 13,000. According to the local Ministry of
\nSocial Affairs, the latest available statistics -- 1996 -- show
\nthat there are 7,500 sex workers.<\/p>\n
In the Jarak area, 240 brothels are inhabited by 2,500 sex
\nworkers; 750 operate in the famed Dolly area in Banyuurip; and
\nBangunrejo, the largest red-light area, has 3,000 sex workers.<\/p>\n
A neighborhood chief in Bangunrejo said: \"The place is really
\ncramped now.\"<\/p>\n
There are about 100 women in the city's mansions who are
\ncatering to the high-class segment. Taxi drivers direct men to
\nhouses, including at Darmo Satelit Indah, Jl. Gubeng Raya and Jl.
\nKartini, where transactions are done with credit cards.<\/p>\n
\"Foreigners and bapak-bapak from Jakarta often ask for them,\"
\nsaid a taxi driver.<\/p>\n
The women work for panderers; since the crisis, these men have
\nchosen \"short-time\" fees of Rp 200,000 to Rp 2 million, compared
\nto \"long-time\" fees of Rp 500,000 to Rp 5 million, local sources
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
One of these women said she received 60 percent of the fees.<\/p>\n
Women at five-star hotels say bargaining now can end in fees
\ndown 50 percent of the normal rates.<\/p>\n
\"We're giving discounts now,\" said a 25-year-old woman, who
\nsaid she was from Malang, East Java.<\/p>\n
Cheaper prices also abound at other places, where the highest
\nfees are usually Rp 250,000. \"It depends on the market now,\" said
\nRad, a brothel owner in the Dolly area. \"The fee can be half that
\nagain on slow days. We're slashing fees to liven up the place.\"<\/p>\n
Entrants into the business are similar to those in Jakarta,
\nwhere preteens operate in entertainment places and malls. An
\nunknown number work in parking lots and bus stops, especially
\nduring lunch and after-office hours.<\/p>\n
As in other cities, social workers grouped at Yayasan Hotline
\nSurya, who have worked long to build public awareness of
\nprevention of sexual diseases here, find they have much more work
\non their hands.<\/p>",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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