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Semarang sex workers oppose closure of red-light district
Easy money and the need to make a living are the main reasons for residents’ opposition to plans to close the lucrative red-light district of Sunan Kuning in the Central Java capital of Semarang
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span>Easy money and the need to make a living are the main reasons for residents’ opposition to plans to close the lucrative red-light district of Sunan Kuning in the Central Java capital of Semarang.
The sex workers shouted back at Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi when he sought to win them over for the plan. “All of you have to change your mindset. Let’s earn a living for our families in the rightful way. Let’s close this chapter of Sunan Kuning,” Hendrar said during a meeting with the sex workers in the area’s public hall on Wednesday.
An estimated Rp 1 billion (US$70,224.72) worth of daily transactions occur in Sunan Kuning, which hosts 475 sex workers. It is going to be closed in accordance with the Social Affairs Ministry’s mission to eradicate all red-light districts in Indonesia in 2019.
A sex worker told The Jakarta Post that she had to earn a living for her three children and had worked there for six years.
“I have three kids. I like working here, I get tipped a lot,” she said.
Two other sex workers agreed with her, each saying they had earnt enough money within a year of working in the area to build a house back in their respective hometowns.
According to the sex workers, they can earn Rp 1 million a day. The area houses karaoke joints, restaurants and bars as well as supporting businesses, such as laundry centers and grocery shops.
According to Social Affairs Ministry data, there were 161 red-light districts in Indonesia in 2012.
East Java had the highest number of red-light districts, with 53 places in 16 regencies/municipalities. The areas have been closed one by one, including the legendary Dolly Alley in Surabaya.
There were also eight red-light districts in Banyuwangi regency, but all of them have since been closed.
In West Java, two of 13 listed red-light districts, Saritem and Gardujati in Bandung, have been closed.
There are also red-light districts in South Sumatera, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Makassar in South Sulawesi.
It is unclear at this time whether the Social Affairs Ministry will succeed in closing all of the red-light districts nationwide before the end of the year.
The head of the NGO Lentera ASA in Semarang, Ari Istiadi, told the Post that he was sceptical that closing red-light districts would make things better.
“If [this red-light district] is closed, [the sex workers] will go online to get customers,” he said.
Ari, who has worked with the sex workers in Sunan Kuning for 19 years, said the plan could jeopardize their lives. “They will not easily give up the profession. They will still practice the sex business on the street or through online platforms. This is very dangerous for their health,” he said.
According to Ari, it is easier for NGOs to protect the sex worker’s health and help them avoid sexually transmitted diseases if they are concentrated in a controlled area.
He said, Semarang scored the highest on the list of places with HIV/AIDS. His NGO had worked intensely to prevent HIV/AIDS by monitoring the health of each sex worker.
“Can the Health Agency guide them? We here know them. The residents here also obey the rules, so that everything is monitored,” Ari said.
It is not the first time Sunan Kuning faces closure. In fact, it was closed from 1998 to 1999, and as a consequence, the sex workers occupied the busy street of Jl. Simpang Lima, disguised as waitresses in tea tents.
The head of a resocialization program for Sunan Kuning, Suwandi, said residents of the area were not yet ready to switch professions.
Suwandi has given the sex workers cooking and sewing lessons, so that they can switch to different jobs once the closure happens. However, he begged for more time.
“I want them to have at least Rp 100 million in their savings before getting out from Sunan Kuning. I guess that’s enough for them to start a new, rightful business,” he said. “However, we will comply with government instructions.”
