The trouble with prostitution<\/p>\n
After all the clamor of the past four months, the nine-month
\nprison term handed down on Wednesday to Hartono Setyawan, the
\nsupposedly \"untouchable\" owner of a high-class brothel in South
\nJakarta, seems almost anti-climactic. The panel of judges at the
\nSouth Jakarta District Court ruled that Hartono was proven guilty
\nof collecting profit from prostitution, a crime punishable under
\nArticle 506 on pandering of the Criminal Code.<\/p>\n
If nothing else, his blatant and inhumane exploitation of
\nwomen should have brought him more than a brief encounter with
\nimprisonment.<\/p>\n
At least, Hartono's arrest on July 27 led off a systematic
\ncampaign against Jakarta's rising vice and crime rates. In the
\nweeks and months that followed his arrest, reports of police
\nraids on dens of iniquity regularly filled the pages of the
\ncity's newspapers.<\/p>\n
In October, Jakarta's police chief, Maj. Gen. Mochammad
\nHindarto, told reporters the Jakarta police were determined to
\ncrush the growing number of gangsters and racketeers \"whose
\nmethods of operation are similar to those used by foreign
\norganized crime syndicates\".<\/p>\n
All this naturally added some drama to the raids. But as far
\nas Hartono was concerned, such sinister links were never proven
\nin court.<\/p>\n
It is said, however, that the 42-year-old man, who was
\nvariously referred to in the newspaper reports as \"the country's
\nbiggest pimp for over two decades\" or \"the most notorious pimp of
\nhigh-class call girls\", has survived for 20 years in this
\nquestionable business on the strength of his powerful \"backing\".
\nSupposedly he had convenient links with powerful, well-placed
\npeople.<\/p>\n
As the evidence supplied in court seemed to show, Hartono is
\nessentially an independent entrepreneur, who made it to the top
\nof his trade on the strength of his own shrewd, albeit
\nunprincipled, business acumen. Formerly a penniless omprengan
\n(night minibus driver), he entered the lucrative sex business in
\nthe early 1970s and prospered.<\/p>\n
By the time he was arrested, he was the operator of a string
\nof posh brothels in several big cities, such as Jakarta,
\nSurabaya, Bandung, Denpasar and Semarang. His clientele is said
\nto have consisted mostly of middle and upper-class Indonesians,
\nincluding some high-ranking civil servants.<\/p>\n
What Hartono's case appears to have taught us is that in his
\nbusiness, as in any other field of commerce, the general market
\nforces of supply and demand are at work as well. What this
\nimplies is that, whether or not we approve of it, prostitution,
\na marketable vice, will persist as long as there are patrons.<\/p>\n
Obviously, prostitution cannot be tolerated. Not only is it
\ndegrading and exploitive, it can also seriously endanger the
\nhealth and wellbeing of countless members of society.<\/p>\n
We believe it is an illusion to think that we can stamp out
\nprostitution by such simple measures as arresting a few of the
\nmost blatant operators. Such measures, while proper, are
\ninsufficient. More persistent and comprehensive measures should
\nbe taken, including perhaps the old-fashioned method of
\nwidespread education about the dangers of unrestrained sexual
\nbehavior.<\/p>\n
We believe there is a great deal more room for action, not
\nonly by the authorities, but by every member of society. And it
\nseems reasonable, as well, that this action should be taken, not
\nonly against the prostitutes and their pimps, but against anyone
\nsupporting the exploitive practice, including clients.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-trouble-with-prostitution-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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