Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – A state minister has said she opposes the move by the administration in Batu, East Java, to oblige female masseurs to "lock" their underwear, saying it disparaged women in general.
"It is not the right way to prevent promiscuity. It insults women as if they are the ones in the wrong," State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Fardia Hatta Swasono told reporters Wednesday at her office.
"It is not that we oppose the administration's effort to uphold morality, but the problem is in their way of treating masseurs as if they're all committing prostitution."
The Batu administration recently issued a policy obliging masseurs to install padlocks on their underwear in a move to minimize prostitution in massage parlors and maintain the image of Batu as a popular tourist destination.
Meutia said the way to minimize prostitution in massage parlors was to strengthen the security system, such as by installing CCTV.
"Obliging women to lock their underwear means the administration considers all massage parlors to be places of prostitution. In fact, many people go to the parlor purely for health reasons, not for sex."
Following the move by the Batu administration, the Jakarta Tourism Agency said it was considering implementing the same rule to improve the tarnished image of massage parlors across the capital.
Amid intense efforts by the government to combat pornography, the ministry of women's empowerment launched the National Action Plan on Anti-Pornography Families.
"This action plan is expected to increase awareness among parents that the future of their children... is in danger due to negative effects of pornography. We are encouraging parents to have better supervision... of their children. Through this, we also hope for better law enforcement against pornographic practices and better protection for the victims, especially women and children."
The state minister office will jointly conduct the action with the Office of the State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs, the Religious Affairs Ministry, the National Police and the Communication and Information Ministry.
According to a survey by toptenreviews.com, Indonesia ranks seventh in the world among countries with the most access to porn websites.
"In 2006, some 80 percent of youths aged 15 to 17 were prone to access websites containing hardcore pornography, and most of them access the websites while they are studying," Meutia said.
"This is a fact that many parents are not aware of. Parents just believe their children tell them about working on schoolwork, but in fact the children access porn sites."
She said it would take across-the-board measures to combat pornography, not just by blocking the access to porn sites as recently announced by the Communication and Information Ministry.