Keep red-light districts open, AIDS activist says

Keep red-light districts open, AIDS activist says

JAKARTA (JP): An AIDS activist criticizes the Jakarta
administration for closing down the city's red-light districts,
saying that it has made the task of counseling sex workers about
the dangers of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
difficult.

Given that it is unrealistic to eliminate the world's oldest
profession, Kindi Marina of the Kusuma Buana Foundation said
earlier this week that keeping the red-light districts open would
enable the authorities to track the spread of AIDS in the city.

Kusuma Buana has focused its work on preventing the spread of
AIDS and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among sex
workers, who are considered to be among the most vulnerable
groups.

Kindi was speaking at a media briefing for the staging of a
drama called Malupi Merah Jambu in the Bulungan Youth Hall, South
Jakarta, on Saturday, which stars 21 practicing and former
prostitutes grouped in Bandungwangi, an organization active in
providing AIDS counseling to sex workers in Jakarta.

The organization is supervised by Kusuma Buana.

"People tend to overlook the real problem of prostitution,"
Kindi said, adding that "closing red-light districts and raiding
sex workers in the streets would not solve the problem".

"Most are drawn to the profession for economic reasons.

"Their parents could not afford to give them a proper
education which would have helped them lead a better life," she
said.

The city administration closed down the Kramat Tunggak red-
light district, the only area in the capital where prostitution
was legalized, in 1999 in response to strong public demands.

Many prostitutes have since practiced their trade on the
streets or at massage parlors, karaoke bars and night clubs,
often at the risk of being attacked or rounded up by the
authorities.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health,
there were 1,572 reported cases of HIV and 578 reported cases of
AIDS as of last month. The World Health Organization said there
could be as many as 52,000 cases of HIV and AIDS in Indonesia.

Bandungwangi said it recorded 1,554 HIV cases and 502 AIDS
cases between January and May. The figure includes 120 cases
involving people under 18 years of age.

Bandungwangi's Malupi Merah Jambu (Pink Malupi) tells the
story of a 14-year-old girl who becomes a sex worker because of
her family's economic situation.

One of the cast members, former sex worker Endang Sudarmi,
said the character was inspired by members of the play.

The play is aimed at introducing the public to the life of an
underaged sex worker who tragically ends her own life after her
doctor informs her that she has been infected with HIV.

Santi, a 13-year-old sex worker from Indramayu, West Java,was
elated to be in the play.

"I'm glad to be with my friends in another activity which I
find terribly exciting," Santi told the Post.

Out of the cast of 21 players, 19 are sex workers under the
age of 18.(06)