Batam to merge six brothel complexes
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.