Batam to merge six brothel complexes
Fadli, Batam
The Social Affairs Office within Batam municipal administration has decided to merge six brothel complexes scattered around Batam into a single complex in the Batam district, Nongsa, in order to "contain" prostitution there.
Head of the office Azwan said on Tuesday that the municipal government and Batam Authority had provided a 7.4-hectare site in Teluk Pandan, Nongsa district, to allow businesspeople to relocate their entertainment business to the area.
The six complexes in question are those in Samyong and Tangki Seribu, Batu Ampar district; Teluk Bakau, Nongsa district; Tanjung Ucang, Sekupang district; Tanjung Piayu, Sei Beduk district and Mat Belanda island, Belakang Padang district.
Businesspeople from these complexes have already relocated 18 bars and karaoke clubs to a 3.2-hectare site in Teluk Pandan, which has accommodated 139 sex workers; the remaining 4.2 hectares will be used for the relocation and construction of amusement places.
"The new policy is aimed at isolating the brothel complex from local residential areas and from children. It is also aimed at limiting the presence of sex workers in the city. They are likely to be people living with HIV/AIDS," said Azwan.
Teluk Pandan is set to accommodate 96 bars and karaoke spots; thus far, a total 866 sex workers are now registered with the Social Affairs Office.
Azwan said that the brothel complex would also have a medical clinic and social rehabilitation center, where people could go for counseling. We hope that they will abandon their profession and return to the community for good, after they visit the center," he said. The center will also provide advice on safe sex for sex workers.
The widespread existence of prostitution in Batam is mostly attributed to the large number of foreigners arriving in the city -- notably ships' crews seeking sex partners.
Brothel complexes in Batam have become more popular compared with bars and karaoke clubs in plush Nagoya amusement park, because the cost of services is much cheaper in the brothel complexes than in Nagoya. In the brothel complexes, sex workers charge Rp 100,000 (US$ 10.5) to Rp 150,000 per night, while in Nagoya customers are charged Rp 200,000 (US$ 21) to Rp 500,000 per night. The price of food and beverages is also much higher in Nagoya than in the brothel complexes.
According to data at Batam Social Affairs Office, some 2,000 sex workers operate in Batam, but the actual number could be much higher than that, as there are many more not registered with the office.