Samarinda condom cheats to face fines

Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda

Samarinda city is planning to issue a bylaw on the use of condoms, planning hefty fines for the more than 9,000 prostitutes and their clients in the region if they are found to have not used a condom during sex.

The bylaw is aimed at preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the city. But its critics, including some sex workers whose profession is already forbidden under the law, wonder whether fining people for not using protection is feasible.

The idea comes after Papua's Merauke regency in July passed a bylaw fining sex clients up to Rp 5 million (about US$500) if they were caught having sex without a condom.

The bylaw is especially enforced in high-risk areas such as red light districts, bars and hotels.

Samarinda senior health official Sahran said the idea would be discussed soon by the city government and councillors.

"High on the agenda is sanctions imposed on sex workers and consumers who reject wearing condoms," he said.

Campaigns advocating condom use have increased in East Kalimantan in recent years as the number of people contracting HIV/AIDS in the region have steadily increased since attempts to monitor the virus began in 1993.

Since that year, 165 people are known to have been infected with the lethal virus and five of them have died, although health workers believe the actual infection rate could be much higher.

Sahran said the provinces many brothels were contributing to the fast spread of HIV/AIDS in the province, especially in Samarinda city, the provincial capital.

According to government data, the province has 32 prostitution complexes with around 9,200 sex workers, not including those who operate outside brothels.

The numbers of drug users sharing syringes are also believed to be rising, leading to a higher number of them being infected with the virus.

Sahran acknowledged the government would meet difficulties in monitoring whether people really used condoms but said the government was arranging "the best mechanism" to ensure people with a high risk of HIV/AIDS infection were made aware of the plan.

A sex worker, Ningsih, expressed skepticism to The Jakarta Post that the bylaw would be effective.

"How can the government effectively oversee the use of condoms given the vast area of East Kalimantan and the private nature of sexual intercourse?" she said.

Many customers refused to wear condoms because they said it meant sex was less "natural" and enjoyable, Ningsih said.

When asked about the problem of monitoring, a health official who refused to be named said: "The prostitutes or the customers can file a report."

In Papua the HIV/AIDS virus was first detected 11 years ago appearing in Merauke. Believed to be brought by Thai fishermen, the virus has since spread to the remotest areas of the province and the provincial health office estimates that more than 60,000 people there are at risk of being infected.