Trafficking of women, sex trade rife in Medan, Batam

Trafficking of women, sex trade rife in Medan, Batam

Apriadi Gunawan and Fadly, The Jakarta Post, Medan/Batam

Five underage women identified as IM, A, FY, E and W had no
idea that they would be traded as prostitutes in a red light
district in Dumai, Riau, when Romantan Sinaga alias Nico or
Onces, and Andi Haryanto offered them a good job with a high
salary during a coincidental meeting at the Aksara Medan Plaza in
August.

Without considering any possible consequences, the five girls
accepted the offer and went with the two brokers to Dumai. Upon
their arrival in the Ria Wisata tourist resort in Bukit Kapur
Subdistrict, Dumai, the two brokers traded the five girls to
their would-be madam, Rina, at a price of Rp 800,000 (US$80) per
person.

"The deal was done in front of them (the women)," Ade Akhmad
Ilyasak, chairman of the Indonesian Child Protection Institution
(PPAI), told The Jakarta Post in Medan recently.

Ade, who helped the five women upon their arrival from Dumai
recently, said they escaped the red light district after
realizing that they were being abused.

He said that, along with a score of others, they were employed
as prostitutes with earnings of between Rp 35,000 and Rp 90,000
promised for each client they serviced.

"Actually, during their employment as prostitutes they have
never been paid," he said, adding that they bought their bus
tickets with the tip money given by their clients.

Ade said police had legal complications arresting those
employing women as prostitutes because their employees were
obliged to make a legal statement that they did the job
willingly.

Ade said the trade of underage women had become rife in North
Sumatra because authorities have not imposed strict guidelines on
venues such as pubs, bars and karaoke centers, which frequently
offered prostitutes and call girls.

"The rampant prostitution trade has a lot to do with the high
rate of unemployment in the province. Junior high school
graduates who cannot afford to go to senior high school will seek
any job that enables them to survive the economic crisis," he
said.

He said that between January and June, 2001, PPIA had detected
eleven underage women among trade cases involving 21 women.

"Of the 21 women, four were sold to Japan, two to Hong Kong,
three to Malaysia and the remaining 14 were traded in this
province and Riau," Ade said.

Ade called on local authorities to be more selective when
issuing permits for recreation centers and venues.

"The trade of women would not be as serious as it is if local
authorities banned prostitution at venues, launched a routine
operation to crack down on prostitution and imposed stern
sanctions against both venues offering prostitutes and on
prostitutes themselves," he said.

Ade said he was deeply concerned with the absence of measures
against the long presence of red light districts in Bandar Baru,
Sibolangit, Deli Serdang Regency, Bukit Maradja in Simalungun
Regency and Warung Bebek in Asahan Regency.

In Batam, Riau, bordering with Malaysia and Singapore,
prostitution has also been rampant since the island was developed
as an industrial zone and tourist destination.

Andre, secretary of the Down Mainstream Communication Forum,
said prostitution on the island had become a complicated problem
over the past decade.

"Many job seekers have worked as prostitutes at night spots,
while many workers have done the same to seek additional income,"
he said, explaining that living costs on the island were double
those in the country's other provinces.

Andre agreed, saying that the fast growth of the sex industry
on the island had a lot to do with the absence of measures being
taken by local authorities.

"Many massage and karaoke centers offer girls who are put in
aquariums but no action has been taken," he said.

According to data at the local Ministry of Social Affairs
office, the number of sex workers on the island has reached
5,000, who are employed in 60 entertainment centers and seven
red light districts. At least 75 sex workers on the island have
been infected with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).