Prostitution a means to a better future for some women

Prostitution a means to a better future for some women

JAKARTA (JP): As the saying goes, prostitution is the oldest
profession in the world. It has always been around, and probably
always will be.

There are no special requirements needed to become a
prostitute, nor does the job require any particular skill, except
maybe a certain politeness and ease with strangers. Because
anyone can do it, many young women, most facing dire economic
hardships, have turned to prostitution to earn a living.

Mira (not her real name), a prostitute at the Empu Gandring 63
brothel in the Kramat Tunggak red-light district, said she was
forced to become a prostitute because she had no place to live
and could not support herself.

"After my divorce earlier this year, I lived with my sister
and her husband back in my hometown. Unfortunately, her business
went bankrupt last September, so I had to find a way to support
myself since I didn't want to bother her and her family anymore,"
said Mira, who comes from Subang, West Java.

The 17-year-old woman, whose parents are dead, said her dream
was to buy some land and build a home.

Ani, 30, said she would have to reregister to work at Kramat
Tunggak because her husband abandoned her three months ago.

"I have to pay for my two sons, who are living in my
hometown," said Ani, who lives in a boardinghouse near the red-
light district.

Ani works every day along Jl. Kramat Jaya, the street which
runs in front of the prostitution complex. Usually, she takes
customers to nearby motels.

Ani, who hails from Bumiayu, Central Java, worked as a
prostitute in Kramat Tunggak in 1992. However, she left after
three months when one of her customers asked her to marry him.

Prostitution is a profession which not only enables women, and
men, to survive difficult times, but it can also provide them
luxuries they could not have afforded doing other work.

"I can save at least Rp 1.5 million each month," said Maya
(not her real name), a prostitute at Nusa Bunga 98 brothel.

She said she had an average of three customers a day, earning
about Rp 50,000 from each customer.

Maya also sends Rp 200,000 to her mother in Karawang, West
Java, every month.

She learned of Kramat Tunggak from friends who had worked
there as prostitutes, and decided to register with a pimp who
operated in the district.

There are no great obstacles for women who wish to register
with pimps. The pimps process all of the women's documents,
including their ID cards, paying officials to ensure there are no
snags in the process.

Many prostitutes take this course, which defeats the original
aim of Kramat Tunggak: to take prostitutes off the streets by
gathering them in the brothels.

Maya said she paid brothel owners a Rp 10,000 room fee each
time she had a customer. She must also pay Rp 5,000 for
electricity and Rp 40,000 each month for laundry.

"The brothel owners don't provide meals so I have to pay for
my own meals," she said.

Visitors to Kramat Tunggak will find prostitutes adroitly
serving customers beers, which may not seem at all unusual, but
symbolizes a unique relationship between brothel owners and
prostitutes.

Prostitutes never allow men's glasses to get empty, constantly
pouring them more beer. What may seem a simple act of courtesy or
a sign of attention to the men is an attempt by the prostitutes
to increase beer sales.

"We don't give prostitutes a share of the beer sales; it's
just a matter of their helping us," said Sunar.

A number of prostitutes in the district spend their mornings
away from the brothels, engaged in the normal activities of life
in Jakarta.

"Sometimes we get bored staying in the brothel. We'll go out
in the morning to the mall, but we always come back by 2 p.m.,"
said Santi.

Kramat Tunggak begins to come to life around 3 p.m, when the
first customers begin to arrive.

Santi said the closure of the red-light district would make
her life more difficult.

"I will work for brothel owners running their businesses here
after the closure, even though the government says it is
illegal," she said, adding that she would work as a prostitute
until she found a husband.

"Before I find a husband, I will save a lot of money for my
future by working as a prostitute," she said. (asa)