As Batam booms, so does vice trade
As Batam booms, so does vice trade
By Ridwan M. Sijabat
BATAM, Riau (JP): Prostitution, said to be the oldest
profession in the world, is also the easiest recourse for many
women from other parts of Indonesia who come to this industry-
designated island bedazzled by the promise of high salaries.
The vice industry is flourishing on this island, partly
because there is a growing demand for it, from residents and from
workers who are migrating to this area, as well as from
Singaporeans who make the short trip to the island in search of
cheap sex.
But there is no doubt what has caused the number of
prostitutes to rise in Batam -- many women who come to this
island often find the reality totally different from what they
had imagined.
Jobs are difficult to come by, especially for those who have
no particular skills. The cost of living is the highest in
Indonesia, so that even for women who have jobs, very often their
wages are insufficient.
Prostitution is one of the social ills that often characterize
rapidly growing areas. While the women migrants turn to
prostitution, many of their male counterparts turn to crime to
survive.
Another major headache for the authorities is providing
affordable housing for the island's rapidly growing population.
They appear to be losing the race. Slum areas are developing in
many parts of the island.
"On average, 3000 people come to Batam every month," Budi
Santoso, a spokesman for the Batam Industrial Development
Authority, told The Jakarta Post.
Most of these only posses senior high school diplomas and have
no skills. "The majority of them cannot be employed, and what's
worse is that they stay on Batam," Budi said.
He said this is posing serious social problems for Batam,
including prostitution, gambling, crime and the emergence of slum
areas.
Although no survey has been done, Budi said as many as 60
percent of Batam's one million residents may be unemployed.
Double
He predicted that the population of Batam would double in the
next three years. "There's no stopping them. They will keep
coming," he said.
He recalled that an attempt to close Jakarta to migrants in
the 1970s failed and said there was no reason to believe that
such a plan would succeed in Batam.
The only course open to the authorities is to warn people, or
to discourage those with no skill from coming to Batam.
A tour of the island confirms that prostitution, concealed or
otherwise, is easily the most rapidly growing service industry in
Batam.
First, there is the Bukit Samiong red light district. But
brothels, disguised as massage parlors, are mushrooming in
various parts of the city, along with various night entertainment
places like karaoke clubs, pubs, night clubs and billiard
centers.
Fortunately, something is being done to contain the negative
effects of prostitution, even if the authorities cannot stamp it
out completely.
A non-governmental organization, the Social Communications and
Consultancy Forum, has been actively campaigning to prevent the
spread of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS),
informing prostitutes of the dangers and hazards of their
profession.
"It may be impossible to stop prostitution, but efforts should
be made to ease the problem, including the spread of AIDS," Sri
Soedarsono, who chairs the forum, told The Jakarta Post.
"The forum has opened a special polyclinic in the red light
district to treat prostitutes," said Sri, who is the sister of
State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie. The
minister is the chairman of the Batam Industrial Development
Authority.
To date, 14 Batam residents have tested positive for Human
Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, according to
the forum's statistics.