Samarinda condom cheats to face fines

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.