Teenage prostitution booming in Tangerang

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Banten

Teenage prostitution, which has long been a fact of life in big cities like Jakarta, has apparently now become commonplace in Tangerang with many young girls offering sex to men in shopping mall food courts throughout the neighboring city.

A mother in her early 40s was entering the food court of a plaza on Jl. Daan Mogot in Tangerang regency, along with her two young daughters, when she suddenly grabbed her daughters by the arms and hurriedly left the plaza.

"I saw a group of teenage girls sitting, smoking, chatting and laughing salaciously with some men in the food court. They looked like cheap girls and I'm pretty sure those fellows were not their fathers," Rini, the girls' mother, who lives in the Banjar Wijaya housing estate in Cipondoh district, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

She said that she decided not to have lunch at the food court as she feared her daughters would wonder what was going on and ask her what the girls were doing with the men.

Maryono, 45, a food stall owner in the plaza, also complained about the girls' ubiquitous presence at his stall, saying that they just used his place to attract customers before leaving for a hotel or entertainment venue after striking a deal.

"My customers, especially those with family members in tow, often leave my food stall after they see how these girls behave. I also lose out as the girls usually only order some soft drinks while families usually order food and drinks," he said, while also bemoaning the fact that there was no one to whom he could complain.

When the Post entered the food court, a 16-year-old girl wearing tight blue jeans and a very low T-shirt shouted out: "Om (uncle), come over here and sit with me for a while!"

After the Post sat down with the girl, who introduced herself as Neni, three other teenage girls came over and introduced themselves. After they were treated to a few soft drinks and some food, the three moved on to another table.

Neni then began to talk obliquely about sex. After this continued for a while, she invited the Post to have sex with her in a hotel room near the Serpong tollgate for Rp 200,000, excluding the cost of the room.

She said that she and her friends also frequently offered sex to customers through text messages on their cellular phones. The customers would then meet with them at the food court to agree on a price.

Indrayani (not her real name), a 17-year-old who still had all the appearances of a schoolgirl, operates out of a plaza in Serpong, Tangerang regency.

"I have to do this because I need the money to pay for my school fees and to support myself," explained Indrayani, who claimed to be a third-year student at a private senior high school in Tangerang.

She said that her parents had split up, with her father remarrying and her mother going off with a younger man. She now lived with her grandmother in a state-run housing complex (Perumnas) in Karawaci.

When asked whether she was afraid of getting pregnant, the long-haired and clear complexioned girl replied that there was nothing to worry about as all kinds of contraceptives were readily available.

Many other Nenis and Indrayanis are to be seen roaming the malls and shopping centers of Tangerang.

Lahmudi Baihaki, a Muslim figure in Tangerang, described the shopping mall girls as "temptresses who are spreading promiscuity in Tangerang."

Therefore, he called on parents to closely monitor their daughters behavior, who their acquaintances were and what they had been doing as teenagers were very susceptible to becoming involved in the sex trade, something that would destroy their futures.

According to the Muslim cleric, pornographic VCDs, various TV programs and images in the press made it seem the promiscuity was glamorous, and this had led many teenagers astray.

"If parents do not really pay attention to their teenage daughters, they will seek attention in other places.

"This is what is frequently exploited by the philanderers," he asserted.