Child prostitution thrives in Yogyakarta

Child prostitution thrives in Yogyakarta

By Gin Kurniawan and Sumanto

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Along the famed tourist street of Jl.
Malioboro and other areas here, youngsters dubbed cilikan (small)
have become popular for the sexual services they offer.

Information leading to their whereabouts is provided by
amateur guides, becak (pedicab) and taxi drivers.

"Come, Oom (uncle), I'll take you... There is accommodation
with cilikan nearby," is typical of the offers received by new
arrivals at Tugu train station.

The prostitutes gather in the mall on Jl. Malioboro and public
places in the area. Koencoro, a University of Indonesia
psychologist, confirms the fears of Arist Merdeka Sirait, a child
workers' rights campaigner in Jakarta who fears that child
prostitution is on the rise.

Koencoro said that in Yogyakarta the phenomenon is not new,
adding that the city could even be used as a barometer of child
prostitution in the country.

If that is true then the problem is certainly getting worse in
Indonesia.

Koencoro, who has conducted a number of studies on child
prostitution here, says that the children are now becoming more
open about the fact that they are cilikan.

However, this emboldened attitude hides but does not heal the
scars which the sordid trade leaves on young, undeveloped minds.

Koencoro said that selling sex at a young age leads to a
constant feeling of inferiority, deep-seated feelings of guilt
which frequently disturb sleep patterns, a split personality and
difficulty telling right from wrong.

"Some of the children tear up the money they earn because they
feel that it is haram (forbidden by religion)," said Koencoro.

He added that the youngsters, especially those selling sex for
material needs, quickly became dependent on the profession.

"And if pregnancy occurs, it is likely to be unplanned and
unwanted," Koencoro added, pointing out that this had a knock on
effect on the next generation because unwanted babies would face
problems through that most unfortunate status.

There is also cause for concern over the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases. The prostitutes receive very little sex
education at school and overburdened health workers are still
busy teaching adult prostitutes why it is so important to use
condoms.

However, concerns about such miserable fates were far from
apparent in the faces of the cheerful youngsters standing in
front of a Yogyakarta department store at 2 a.m. one morning.

A girl with the face of a 14-year-old emerged from the
giggling crowd, a small trendy bag on her back.

She briefly chatted with the middle-aged driver of a sedan
which had just pulled up, then the short-haired pretty girl
jumped into the car which then sped away.

Another of the group, 17-year-old Evi (real name changed),
said she first had sex with a classmate at school before going on
to adults.

Koencoro could not say how many child prostitutes were working
in Yogyakarta. The problem, he explained, was that some girls
worked for a number of pimps making it very difficult to estimate
the total extent of the problem.

Pimps

Informed sources said that there were at least eight pimps who
provide young prostitutes. Red-light areas where they operate
include Pasar Kembang, the beaches of Parangtritis and Samas, and
the large shopping centers and hotels in the city. Child
prostitutes in Parangtritis are said to have moved there from
Keseneng Purworejo after angry local residents burned down
brothels in the town earlier this month.

Koencoro groups child prostitutes into three categories --
amateurs, professionals and experimenters, the last of which are
known as prk. The professionals are the ones standing by in
houses owned by pimps. Prk, an abbreviation of perempuan
experimen (woman experimenters) are the ones out looking for fun.
They like to be taken shopping or to a restaurant, and are more
selective about who they go out with, he said.

He said the pimps sold the children for Rp 150,000 for a short
time. The youngsters receive 60 percent of what their clients pay
the pimps.

"The high fee they command results from the belief held by
some people that their virility will be enhanced by having sex
with children. They also think it brings good luck," Koencoro
said.

He has observed that child prostitution has become a more
professional business, with pimps training girls in techniques to
please men using rented pornographic films as prompts.

One of the main reasons children get drawn into prostitution,
the psychologist argues, is out of curiosity. "They get very
little sex education." They are also encouraged by the "high
societal orientation towards material needs."

A steady demand for young prostitutes makes eradicating this
form of child abuse even more difficult, he said.