Number of pickup spots for prostitutes soars
JAKARTA (JP): The number of areas in the capital where male and female prostitutes solicited customers soared from only 30 in March last year to 120 in June this year as people grew more desperate to earn a living, an official said on Thursday.
Toha Reno of the city public order office said the sharp increase was the result of the rising number of people who had lost their jobs during the current economic crisis.
He said the number of city residents who lost their jobs this year reached at least 826,000.
"What can the poor people, particularly the women, do? They won't get much from begging on the streets, so they end up selling themselves," Toha told The Jakarta Post.
"Earlier, prostitutes sold themselves for as low as Rp 7,500 (US$1.1)... Today in certain areas of North, West and Central Jakarta, they are willing to go as low as Rp 5,000."
Toha said what he deplored most was not the increase in the number of areas where prostitutes solicited customers, but the surge in child prostitution.
"Today there are both boys and girls between 10 and 13 years of age who sell themselves openly on the streets. It is a very pathetic situation," Toha said.
"However, city residents must be patient. The administration and the city's five mayoralties do not have the manpower to round up the prostitutes every night."
Data from Toha's office showed prostitutes could be found soliciting customers in Central Jakarta at the Senen intersection, the Gunung Sahari intersection, the Tanah Abang- Bongkaran area, the Lapangan Banteng area, the Galur intersection and the area around Gadjah Mada.
The locations in West Jakarta include the Lokasari and Hayam Wuruk areas, the Tomang intersection, Grogol, Slipi and Tubagus Angke.
In East Jakarta, the spots include Pasar Pramuka, Kramat Jati and the areas around Matraman and Cawang.
The spots in North Jakarta include Ancol and Pluit, the areas around Sunda Kelapa and Tanjung Priok and Kalijodo.
The spots in South Jakarta include the Lebak Bulus bus terminal, Bulungan-Blok M, Tebet Dalam, Manggarai, Lenteng Agung and Pasar Minggu. (ylt)