Bang Gang in Belasi

While I live in Jakarta, my workplace (to use the term loosely) is in the outskirts in an area known as Bekasi. To put things in perspective, Bekasi although considered as a suburb of Jakarta is actually home to more people than the capital city of Scotland.

Accordingly, Bekasi has it’s own social problems and while not as strict as these dammed Tangerangies, Bekasi does come down hard on the moral side of things and the sex Trade is high on the list.

In 2004, just as I arrived in this fair land, Bekasi made a ruling against prostitution in the area , considering it their moral responsibility to combat the sex trade and it has been said the these measures had been effective in wiping out the "social disease" of prostitution.



In a recent statement to the press, a gentleman with the extraordinary title of “head of administration affairs of public order officials” said:

"There can't be smoke without fire. Our job is to extinguish that fire,"

"We have always targeted prostitutes in our raids because in our opinion they are the origin of this social disease,"

Funnily enough, it appears that this lady may still be working there...


Now, after the raiding has finished, any sex workers caught in raids, mostly female, are sent to what are known as Social rehabilitation Center’s which fall under the wing of the  Social Affairs Ministry.

It was intended that these centers offer classes in sewing and beauty styling, each course lasting three-four months so that the detainees may develop new skills and increase their prospect of employment .

But, as you may have guessed, there is another story hidden behind this apparently philanthropic strategy.

Money!

It appears that whenever a raid was conducted sex workers only had to pay police between Rp 200,000 and Rp 500,000 (US$ 20-50) to be released from detention.

No money, then it’s off to rehab for you, but even then, the game does not stop!

 In the centre, there are “brokers who settle the problem for around Rp 1 million (US$100) to get the ladies out and working again.

A spokeswoman for the sex Workers in East Java openly stated that "The raids are nothing more than an income source for public order officers."

It was reported that in November the public order office recorded that there were 82 sex workers in South, West and East Bekasi. In the same area there are officially 95 stalls offering food and sex workers, locally known as warung remang or dim-lighted stalls, and around 300 massage parlors and karaoke spots, also key spots for the sex trade.

I don’t understand what an “official” stall is, nor the numbers that they have come up with, however, making assumptions this could mean up to IR 95,400,000 (US$ 9,500) as a potential revenue source if each of the workers, stalls and massage parlors each were stung for US$20 each month…

Ironically, although the raids continue, the office rarely caught the pimps or clients because "we conduct raids on the streets, not in the hotels or wherever they have their end away”

More likely, if caught, the pimps and clients will have the necessary cash to pay the spot fines and avoid imprisonment.

Once again, money talks, but one things for sure. I sure as hell don’t see the Public Order Office loosing almost ten grand a month in extras……not anytime soon anyway!