S'poreans drive sex trade: Study

S'poreans drive sex trade: Study

Singaporeans ranging from teenagers to grandfathers are fueling the sex trade on the Indonesian island of Batam, a survey showed on Monday.

They account for eight out of every 10 men who go to the Riau island for a sex romp an hour's ride away from the city-state by ferry, according to a nongovernmental organization that helps sex workers.

The survey by YMKK or the Partnership for Health and Humanitarian Foundation found nearly 600 Singaporean men, primarily Chinese, arrive every Saturday for sex.

A partner costs S$50 (US$35) a night, according to the findings published in The Straits Times.

Problems highlighted by Singapore International Foundation (SIF) volunteer Lim Kai Yang include girls as young as 15 being tricked into prostitution, unwanted pregnancy, AIDS and drug addiction.

"Girls from across Indonesia are promised good jobs in restaurants or karaoke lounges, but when they arrive they find themselves locked up like prisoners and made to work as prostitutes," Lola Wagner, YMKK's director, was quoted as saying.

She estimated about half the sex workers in Batam are tricked into prostitution and nearly all who use YMKK medical services have sexually transmitted diseases.

"The Chinese men have very strong sexual desires," outreach officer Husaini Tarmizi was quoted as saying. "And the girls will do whatever it takes to get tips." --DPA