Sex workers nabbed ahead of Ramadhan

Sex workers nabbed ahead of Ramadhan

BATAM, Riau: The local police temporarily detained at least 89 sex workers employed in nightclubs, entertainment centers, pubs and discotheques in Barelang, Batam, ahead of the upcoming Muslim fasting month.

Barelang Police chief Sr. Comr. Suhartono said over the weekend that the detention was necessary as the sex workers did not have identity cards.

The police merely told the prostitutes not to carry out their work and released them shortly afterward.

However, a non governmental organization, the Mitra Kesehatan Foundation criticized the arrests, saying that the police should reveal the network that the prostitutes work for in and out of Batam rather than just arresting and releasing the women. --JP