This week we are having a hot news. AA, a female artist, who is also a model, was caught red-handed for allegedly giving a sexual service to a customer who turned out to be an undercover policeman.
The South Jakarta Police’s undercover policeman had asked for her service through her pimp called RA and had paid a down payment of 30% the agreed service charge. AA was caught in a 5-star hotel room in South Jakarta with a charge of prostitution, along with RA the pimp, for pimping.
The marketing of such prostitution has been made through BBM and Whatsapp messaging where the pimp and potential customer mutually agree on the availability of the selected lady, required hotel room, service charge and a down payment of 30% that has to be settled in the pimp’s bank account prior to execution; the remaining 70% will be directly handed to the lady by the customer.
RA, under queries by the police, revealed an astonishing fact that he has been organizing around 200 women who are known to be artists, models and celebrities. Jawa Pos Daily (11 May 2015) casts that after queries with RA, the Police has a list of names who are well known to the public as artists, models or art workers.
RA also indicated that charge for sexual service ranges from IDR 80 to 200 million (US$ 6,085 to 15,212 ) for a short time service which lasts 3 hours. It means that, if we use the figure of IDR 80 million for easier example, the prostitute will receive IDR 56 million while the pimp will have IDR 24 million.
Let’s see what the lady has in return for her sexual service. In three hours, she receives IDR 56 million; that’s IDR 18.7 million (US$ 1,423) per hour. In Indonesian context, it’s such a lot of money.
A quote from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Bureau says that Indonesian’s Gross Domestic Product Per Capita in 2014 is IDR 41,810,000, or IDR 3,484,000 a month, or IDR 128,000 a day, or when calculated on the basis of 8 working hours day, an average Indonesian worker earns IDR 16,000 (US$ 1.22) per hour.
It easy to understand the notion that when the brain, skill and related market or industry fail to give you the fortune, then jobs with less morality may easily and more conveniently bring you the fortune you might need. In an interview Kompas.com (11 May 2015), Eko Haryanto, a criminologist says, ”it’s all about the need for cash. They are new-comer artists, they don’t get related job offers very much but they have to work to cope with their expensive life-style. Making themselves available for sexual service is the easiest choice”
It seems that morality has not a big deal for those entering this ‘industry’. What is morality amidst the high need for hard cash in the absence of bright brain and occupational skill? The country’s law scheme on such matter is also too weak. As quoted in Kompas.com (11 May 2015), Ferdinand Andi Lolo, a criminal law expert, says, “laws regarding prostitution are absent within Indonesia’s Criminal Laws. Prostitution is only included in regental or municipal laws under which a prostitute under custody will be sent to a social institution (Panti Sosial) where they will be socially re-educated in for more decent way of living”. This may work well to low-scheme street prostitution with small cash circulation. Would it work for AA and 200 other players? Are they able to adjust themselves with their future lifestyle requirement after spending some time learning how to sew in those social institutions?
It may be a good idea as well to see this hot case in a supply-demand framework. Why does a single pimp like RA have an inventory of 200 artists/models available for such service? Why such an amazing size of supply? Yes, that’s because the demand does exist. Potential customers with heaps of money and multi-digits balance figures in their bank accounts are there to make the ‘industry’ flourish. IDR 80 millions (plus hotel room charge) is nothing for a 3-hour joy and happiness, while for the prostitutes, big cash in a very short time is the most convenient and effortless way to keep their expensive life style going and secured; no contest to morality whatsoever!
And when you scale it down to other level of prostitution where ordinary women (not artist nor models) are at play, you may see that what those experts above point out are flawlessly true. We had Tata_Chubby, we have university students , we have senior or even junior high school students, and those women who are not fortunate enough to get access (or to attempt access or undertake the challenge) to more decent way of life. And more sadly, as the case put forward by Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, there is an ugly fact that old-aged prostitutes around the former Dolly prostitution area even give sexual service to male elementary students in return for the students’ pocket money!
The absence of effective and strong related law, the urgent need for hard cash, the convenience of social media and communication amenities are there to attribute to.
Big sigh!
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