ID Nugroho, Surabaya – Drops of water trickle down from the shoulder-length hair of Sekar (not her real name), as she enters one of the fast food eateries in Central Surabaya on Tuesday afternoon.
While rubbing her wet hair, the 16-year-old girl surveys the cafe, afraid that someone might recognize her. She ducks toward a table at a corner, where The Jakarta Post and a non-governmental organization (NGO) activist advocating children's rights, have been waiting.
Sekar, one of the thousands of child sex workers in Surabaya, begins to tell her story. She says she currently solicits for sex alongside adult prostitutes in an area connected by five major locations – Gang Dolly, Moroseneng, Bangunsari, Putat Jaya and Kremil.
Sekar's introduction to the world of prostitution began when the fair-skinned girl fell in love with a security guard three years ago. She was only 13 years old when she first had sex with her boyfriend.
"I was afraid at the beginning, but I don't know why I eventually gave in," she said. She began taking drugs at a young age, moving on from marijuana to crystal methamphetamine (shabu-shabu). Her life changed dramatically at 15 when her boyfriend was arrested and sent to prison for drug possession. Sekar, who was already hooked on opiates, had to find ways to keep up her addiction.
"I didn't have money and I had dropped out of school. I finally sold what I had, my body," she said. Most of her earnings were used to buy drugs, and the remainder to fulfill her everyday needs.
Both her foster parents who work as casual laborers live in a small house in Genting, Surabaya, with her younger sister, Maya (not her real name).
The house, measuring four by six meters, is divided into four partitions; one living room, a guest room, a bathroom and a kitchen. It is located on a narrow lane in a densely populated area of Surabaya. Because of the family's economic hardship, Sekar gives her parents a monthly stipend of Rp 150,000 (US$16.00).
Studies show that Sekar's situation is common in Indonesia. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates there are about 21,000 children in Java involved in prostitution, of which 2,329 of them operated in Surabaya. The organization observes that the poor in East Java are highly susceptible to human trafficking, especially in women and children.
"Most of the child sex workers say they are from Malang, Banyuwangi and Madura," ILO coordinator in East Java, Tri Andhi Suprihartono told the Post. "Nearly all poor areas in the cities of East Java are known to supply sex workers to Surabaya," he said.
Research development coordinator of PLAN Indonesia, Djunaedi Sari Purnawan said many children from poor families in East Java were often forced to work to support their family "sometimes by employ as sex workers."
If the children were not taken out of school to work by their parents they generally ended up dropping out later on, especially if they were involved in the sex trade, Djunaedi said. "If that is the case, the child will have no other choice but to keep working," said Djunaedi.
A way to overcome child prostitution was to make changes in education and make it more accessible to poor families, he said. "If children are empowered, they have more choices to improve their quality of life," he said.