Jakarta – After being evicted from the Kalijodo red-light district in North Jakarta, sex workers have started to move to the Dadap Cheng In red-light district in Tangerang regency.
During a February raid on the Dadap Cheng In red-light district, security officers arrested dozens of young sex workers who said they had moved there from Kalijodo, said Tangerang Regent Ahmed Zaki Iskandar on Wednesday. "The exodus is similar to the time when the Dolly red-light district in Surabya was closed," Ahmed said as reported by tribunnews.com on Wednesday.
The city administration knocked down all the buildings in the red-light district on Monday. Hundreds of residents were relocated to low-cost apartments while sex workers were forced to leave the area.
The peripatetic sex workers arrested in Dadap Cheng In were sent back to their hometowns after signing a statement promising that they would not return to the area. "The number of sex workers is increasing. They come from various regions," Ahmed said.
Ahmed said he had notified the Home Ministry of his administration's desire to close down the Dadap Cheng In red-light district. Ahmed's administration hopes that the Home Ministry can provide the sex workers will education and training to equip them with new skills. (bbn)(+)