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.