STORIES : The Night Children of Java
The Night Children of Java back to thumbnails
2009-03-05 Solo, Indonesia. The transsexual Tara (17) got a temporary job in a local hair salon to escape her life in prostitution. She recently opened her own salon in a small room in a poor neighborhood. She still turns to the street once in a while when she needs the money, but in general she gets by. Child prostitution is a growing problem in Indonesia. Forced by poverty or lured by the luxury of modern life many girls end up in prostitution. Many girls make the first step just to be able to buy a mobile phone or to go out in an expensive nightclub. Shopping malls are favorite hangouts to pick up clients. Schoolgirls skip classes and hang around, still in uniform, hoping for a client. Their pimps may be classmates of the same age. Regular customers keep in contact through SMS, Facebook of Friendster. Others hang out in nightclubs or on the street. Some clubs keep a few girls for their customers. They’re kept as prisoners and are not allowed to leave the premises alone. Kakak a local women’s organization in Java approaches girls and tries to educate them about their rights and offers them alternatives like vocational training. Terre des Hommes Netherlands is campaigning against child exploitation and supports Kakak.
Keywords:
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