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Issue of the day: Closure of all red-light districts by 2019

Feb

The Jakarta Post
Thu, February 25, 2016

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Issue of the day: Closure of all red-light districts by 2019

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strong>Feb. 23, 2016

The closure of the Kalijodo red-light district in North and West Jakarta is just one part of the government'€™s ambition to close down all 168 such areas across the country by 2019 as part of its efforts to eradicate prostitution.

The government has already closed down 68 red-light districts, while another 100 would be closed down within three years, said Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa on Monday, adding that the decision was made at the ministry'€™s national working meeting in January.

Her ministry had coordinated with regional governments in an effort to close down the prostitution facilities, Khofifah said.  


Your comments:

Isn'€™t one of the '€˜benefits'€™ of having these local establishments that they are regularly tested? It certainly was the case in the Dolly red-light district in Surabaya and, given that most women mentioned as absent in this article are probably seeking other outlets, what is the government'€™s plan to address sexual health for these women, absent or not?

Will Graham


The whole point of working in prostitution is not to have to do low paid jobs '€” so of course they won'€™t do the training on offer, they'€™ll just go and work in a massage place instead.

JLC

This assumes that they keep their wages. Reports from all over the globe agree: Pimps keep nearly all of the money. They get sucked in; prostitution is not an avenue for jobs where no other jobs exist, prostitution happens because a man they know turned them out.

Daniaceh

Closing down places that have existed for a long time, especially for prostitution, will only result in more prostitutes selling their services unnoticed and further assist the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Indeed, it is not the best move.

Simba1991

Many years ago I had the pleasure of meeting quite a few lovely young women who were selling their bodies. But they were selective and only went with Western men. I spoke to them about why they only chose Westerners.

The collective answer was the hope that they would be invited to a foreign country. This happened to many of them and they went to Australia, Germany, Austria, England, etc.

Most of them keep in touch with friends and from all reports, bar one, they are all happy with children in their new country. My point is that there is more than one way to skin a rabbit.

Angela007

Attempting to eradicate prostitution is like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. The causes need to be addressed, not the end result which is desperate women trying to make money because they have to.

The government plan only appeals to the non-thinker.

Nate78


After closing down Dolly in Surabaya, Southeast Asia'€™s largest red-light district, the country still has 168 red-light districts (the government'€™s figure, therefore expect a gross underestimation).

That'€™s not counting good-time girls at nightclubs, discos, karaoke rooms and massage parlors. Not counting the short-term marriages in Puncak, Bogor and Sukabumi. Nor those plying their trade on street corners and in graveyard clearings. Or the ones through hotel bellboys, social media or word of mouth. All in a devout Muslim-majority country where prostitution is supposedly haram according to religion and illegal by law. Speaks volumes, doesn'€™t it?

Wandering Star


Does that mean the government is going to close Batam? So where are all those frustrated foreign taxi drivers going to go in the future for their weekly knee trembler?

Bohongbohong

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