Four women forced into prostitution

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Four women aged 16 and 17 went to the Medan Legal Aid Institute office on Friday reporting they had been made to work as prostitutes in a red-light district in Bandar Baru, 50 kilometers south of the provincial capital.

The four -- Af, Fl, Fd, and Ck -- said that they were employed under duress for one month to serve "their guests" in a guest house near the brothel complex in the mountainous resort.

They said they were promised between Rp 50,000 and Rp 80,000 for each man they served and that they stayed in a warehouse belonging to a pimp, AS, who has been arrested.

The four said they were recruited on Nov. 6 on promises of highly paid work. Fl managed to escape, and reported to a police station in the city. The police went to AS' place to release the other three and arrest the pimp.

They said they would sue the pimp for deceiving them and forcing them to work as prostitutes. They also demanded the suspect pay their wages which they said amounted to Rp 2 million during their employment. (21)