The power of money

While the national authorities are yet to properly deal with child and woman trafficking in several areas in the archipelago, we are jolted by reports of the selling of girl students of Jakarta junior high schools for their virginity.

At least eight under-17-year-old female students of six different schools in Menteng Atas, Jakarta, have been trapped in a prostitution network, allegedly controlled by a woman named Arum, who is now in police custody. The police have also arrested three men, believed to be the girl's "clients", while two other suspects are still at large.

Arum told the police that she was charging her clients Rp 1,000,000 for every virgin student she provided, and the tariff would gradually decrease for further sessions.

One of the girls told the police she received Rp 1,000,000 for the first date, of which she gave Rp 300,000 to Arum and another Rp 200,000 to two middlemen who accompanied her to meet the client. This means that, for her virginity, she was paid only Rp 500,000.

The story may sound like a cheap soap opera in which teenage girls lose their virginity to men they do not know, merely for money. According to witnesses, all the victims came from low- income families.

This story began when Arum offered the teenagers shoes, clothes, accessories or cellular phones, which the girls could pay for later. When the girls could not meet the deadline, Arum offered a "way out", suggesting that the girls accompany "somebody" for a walk. Arum told the girls that they would get money from the men for occasional kisses or touches.

Seeing no other option, the girls went out with the men, but their dates ended up as hotel-room rendezvous.

Many girls of that age are easily enticed, and these days, the media is likely to play a significant role in intensifying consumerism fever among teenagers.

Soap operas, locally known as sinetron, could be cited as obvious examples. Sinetron, which are presented almost continuously by private television stations, feature characters with glamorous lifestyles. These programs obviously lure many teenagers into imitating the actresses' appearance and behavior. Not to mention other entertainment programs hosted by teenagers with fashionable appearances.

For girls of well-off families, to buy dresses and accessories similar to those worn by celebrities may pose no problem at all. What about those with poor parents? How do they realize their material dreams? In these cases, TV has apparently succeeded in promoting the power of money among teenagers.

Several days ago, a private television station aired a reality TV show that focused on Jakarta's night life. It featured shop attendants, who are also known as sales promotion girls with improper side jobs. According to these girls, they could not live from the small wages they received from their agencies, and admitted that their parents knew nothing about their after-hours activities.

With earnings of between Rp 1,000,000 and Rp 2,000,000 a date, they could buy fashionable clothes, shoes and jewelry. "While I'm still young and able to sell my beauty, why not?" one of the women said.

A shift in attitude is apparently taking place in our society. The spirit of hedonism is getting stronger. It seems that people are competing to get what they want without making much effort.

Are these girls wrong to take money -- which is apparently worth more to them than their self-esteem -- when they are taught by their surroundings that to earn money illicitly is no longer a sin?

Many officials abuse their power. Corruption is rampant in our society, while, among politicians, bribery or money politics is said to be commonplace.

The economic catastrophe in the country brought with it poverty, while the unemployment rate is getting higher as the government has failed to properly address the problem.

Now, we have a kind of moral catastrophe: illicit prostitution involving teenagers. It is not easy to find who is to blame. It is not only parents and teachers who are responsible for this moral decadence. We must share the blame.

A resident of Menteng Atas, who accompanied the ill-fated students to see the police, said that the number of student victims of Arum's business could be more than ten.

The case could also serve as evidence that the government has been half-hearted in protecting our children. How can child abuse and child prostitution in the more remote areas be properly dealt with if the same problem has existed in the capital of the republic for years?

More hidden prostitution networks involving children could well be operating in Jakarta. If the authorities show no concern and give no appropriate protection to our children, then the only choice is for parents to be alert and try to know their children better.