Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – Sex workers are out in force in the tourist resort of Baturaden, despite an official ban by the local administration on the operation of the area's red-light district during Ramadan.

With many sex workers leaving the brothels on September 1, the first day of the fasting month, many others have chosen to move to nearby rented rooms, hoping for a flurry of orders on the eve of Ramadan.

Twenty-year-old Yuni (not her real name) from Cirebon, West Java, for instance, chose to go home following the temporary closure of her workplace.

"I have nothing to do here, so I decided to go home," she said, adding she told her parents she worked in a restaurant in Jakarta.

But for Ani (also not her real name), it was a different story, and she chose to stay in a nearby rented room. "I am too shy to go home now. I will go home later, maybe four days before Idul Fitri," said the 23-year-old from Tasikmalaya, West Java.

Ani is one 250 sex workers operating in the renowned Gang Sadar I and II, popularly known as GS. During Ramadan, the site is officially closed, and will only reopen after Idul Fitri, the celebration marking the end of the fasting month.

Ani decided to stay near GS until a few days prior to Idul Fitri, saying even during Ramadan clients often paid a visit at night, asking for her service. "As with previous Ramadans, we usually stop serving clients in the daytime, but do business as usual at night," she said.

"Fasting is for the daytime anyway. At night, it's our time to earn money." Former Baturaden pimp Andri, 37, from Purwokerto, agreed, saying most GS sex workers preferred to rent rooms and serve their clients outside the red-light district instead of going home during Ramadan.

"Pimps usually evacuate them to places near GS. They seem to have nothing to do in the daytime, but are kept busy at night," he said.

Andri added the sex workers, mostly between 18 and 25 years of age, could conduct business securely at night during Ramadan because of backing from the local administration and security officers. "As long as they pay them money, they are safe to work there – even during Ramadan," he claimed.

He said the temporary closure of the red-light district had caused significant financial losses to hundreds of hotels, ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers and vendors operating in Baturaden.

"But the prostitutes have to obey regulations to respect Ramadan. They will resume working when the fasting month is over, bringing the money back to the resort," he said.

He also said the local administration had limited the operating hours of nightclubs in the region, allowing them to run from only 9 p.m. to midnight. "In practice, they usually obey only at the beginning of Ramadan," he added.