Desperate children expose the dark side of their lives

JAKARTA (JP): Living on the street may be one of the most grisly ways for children to learn about sex, but it's a reality which they have to accept to survive.

Despite the worthy opinions of experts and officials, it is the children's life stories which are most instructive.

At a dark house in West Jakarta, Ririn (not her real name), 14, revealed that she was sent by her parents from her home in West Java two and a half years ago to live with her childless uncle and aunt here in Jakarta.

She said she was happy to leave home because her brother used to "do things" to her when they slept in their small house.

Ririn says she knows nothing about prostitution; but she gives sexual favors to friends of the family.

After living several months with her uncle she was introduced to a relative. Not long after that the relative began taking her out. At first it was all quite innocent.

"He took me to a local carnival," she said.

She recalled shyly that afterwards, they made sexual contacts.

Such experiences recurred several times at home since her uncle was often working late driving a bemo and her aunt minding a small roadside canteen.

One day the relative brought a friend whom he claimed was also a distant cousin. They took her for a picnic to Ancol, North Jakarta, buying her some souvenirs and a T-shirt. They then parked near a lake, and the cousin asked for her "service."

Ririn said the relative comes and takes her out with a friend or another distant relative two or three times a month and the sequence she recounted earlier repeats itself.

She says she doesn't mind much what she is asked to do. "Only my hands get tired," she remarked.

"Sometimes they ask for a kiss, that's okay. But sometimes they ask for more -- then I refuse," she said.

When asked if she had done more than that, Ririn quickly replied "no".

"He is a friend of my uncle's, I get to go to places when he comes by," she said, claiming not to know anything of financial payments to her or to the relative.

"I got a nice watch the last time, but the batteries are now dead," she said of the latest gift.

At another house on a dense corner of Central Jakarta a group of young boys recount more tragedies.

Often shy to speak themselves, they tell in intimate detail of "friends" experiences.

Despite knowing so much they did not display the slightest inkling of the lurking dangers.

Edo, 13, who has lived on the streets for two years, said he once made money by coming to the Lapangan Banteng area in Central Jakarta, at night, where boys of his age wait to be picked up by men.

The boy nervously played with his fingers for a little while, before continuing his story. His friends sat next to him.

"My friend said there are also women, who like to pick up boys there. They usually drive around in fancy cars at 7.30 p.m." Edo said. "Men usually drive around the area later in the night," he added.

While most customers who come to Banteng area drive fancy cars, such as a Mercedes Benz, there some also use motorcycles.

"The people who drive fancy cars pay very well, especially expatriates," Edo said eagerly.

Expatriates usually pay over Rp 100,000 (US$42.5).

People on motorcycles apparently pay less, only about Rp 40,000.

Asked what was expected of him he coyly replied: "Intimate services."

"That's for anal sex," Edo's friends added bluntly.

"Some of them just want to touch, hold and caress us. We do it usually in hotel-rooms, or just in the cars," Edo remarked.

Although they didn't seem too worried about disease, the boys did showed an fear of the police. "The boys will spread and hide as soon as they spot a police car. But as soon as it's gone, they will return," he said.

How does a boy recognize a customer?

"The driver will drive close to us, give a hand sign and the children will gather around his car," replied a boy named Eko.

"When he finally makes his pick, he would point his finger to the boy and the boy will enter the car and drive away," he said.

Another boy, Irwan, said that a man used to pick up a friend of his near Kota station.

"He used to hang around in the afternoon for a man with a fancy car to take him away," the 15-year old said.

A few hours after the friend would return with a large amount of money and treat all of the boys around.

"He didn't say how he got the money, but there's no need to tell, we just know," said Irwan as he smiled knowingly.

"Perhaps he enjoys it," he suggested.

Edo, Eko and Irwan are among the 12 boys between nine and 17 now under the care of Mrs. Ch. Pandoyo Sukaca of the Graha Asih foundation, a social institution for street children in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.

All the boys are victims of sexual exploitation or abuse.

Many boys came to Jakarta of their own will, without their parents knowledge.

"I don't want to return home because my stepmother was angry at me all the time," said 12-year-old Odi, who comes from Salatiga, Central Java.

Dino, from Palembang, South Sumatra, ran away because of his father's fierce temper.

Despite trouble at home and resentment towards their family, the boys admit missing their families.

The recent killing of 10 street children by Robot Gedek after sodomizing them have made the boys scared to return to the streets.

"I know Robot... his eyes are big and scary," Odi said. "I won't go anywhere... I'm happy here," he said.

The Graha Asih foundation sends the children to schools to keep them off the streets, to stop the sexual abuse and exploitation.

"I want to become a somebody like (Minister of Research and Technology) Habibie...I want to make airplanes," the fifth-grade Odi said.

However, some children said that they dared not dream. "Can we dream?" they asked. (team)