East Java hopes to curb prostitution by obliging masseuses to wear a
padlock on their pants.
MALANG, EAST JAVA, INDONESIA (APRIL 13, 2008) REUTERS -
Masseuses in Indonesia's East Java province are now required to wear
padlocks on their pants to curb prostitution, according to a
recently-implemented policy by the local government.
Yet authorities in the tourist area of Batu in Malang are still trying
to make this a law.
Indri, a masseuse, says she feels more secure with the padlock while on
duty.
"I'm very pleased and enjoy working here. Wearing a padlock makes
us feel secure," Indri said.
State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meuthia Hatta has told the
Jakarta Port that the policy was an insult and would not effectively prevent
promiscuity.
The best way to curb prostitution in massage parlours was to improve
security systems, such as installing security cameras, Hatta added.
But Nani, who is Indri's manager at the massage parlour, says it does
not disgrace women.
"It's not disturbing because they only wear it when they massage
their customers and after that they can take it out," Nani said.
Batu, 75 km (47 miles) south of Indonesia's second-biggest city of
Surabaya, is a popular tourist destination for its cool climate, hot springs
and mountain scenery.
Indonesia has a flourishing sex industry and massage parlours are
frequently a front for prostitution. But there has been a vigourous debate
over morality in recent years, exposing deep divisions in the Southeast Asian
Muslim-majority nation.
Last month, Indonesia passed a bill to restrict access to pornographic
and violent sites on the Internet, while parliament has yet to pass a
controversial pornography bill that aims to shield the young from pornographic
material and lewd acts.
Earlier draft versions contained provisions that could jail people for
kissing in public and criminalise many forms of art or traditional culture
that hinge on sensuality, sparking criticism it could curb freedoms and hurt
Indonesia's tolerant traditions.
ENDS
