Zack Petersen – In Indonesia, the sex trade is a wink-and-nod industry – everyone acknowledges its existence, but refuses to talk about it openly. One group fighting a lonely battle to change all that is P3M, an independent organization based in Medan, North Sumatra.

P3M stands for Perempuan Peduli Pedila Medan, or Women Who Care For Medan's Female Sex Workers. The group was established to encourage women, who join the sex trade usually from a lack of education and options, to free themselves.

The grassroots program was started in April 2012 by two former sex workers and a former drug user. Volunteers there not only teach women and men about condoms, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, but also offer a way out of the city's massage parlors, hotels, bath houses and brothels. Free tutorial classes open up alternative career paths, such as hairdressing, sewing and cooking.

The organization, which has touched the lives of more than 400 women in Medan, was established by and for women trapped in a life of prostitution. Those who managed to break free have now dedicated their lives to helping others find a way out.

"In Medan there is a great deal of prostitution around town, with more than 50 hotspots with high rates of concentrated prostitution," said Wilda R. Wakkary, a former sex worker and one of the founders of P3M. "The women all range in age. Unsurprisingly, women in the poorest areas tend to be less concerned about how important it is to take precautions while having sex."

The workers at P3M do not narrow their eyes at the idea of the world's oldest trade, or ignore rumors that there are girls as young as 14 working on the streets in Medan. Instead of pretending that the organization can eliminate prostitution, volunteers and staff members use love and empowerment to encourage women to take a leap of faith and break free from Medan's sex industry.

Volunteers not only teach much-needed English and life skills classes throughout the week, they also readily take to the streets at night, ducking into narrow alleyways or simply showing up at prostitution hotspots in the North Sumatra capital to show women how to use condoms and encouraging them to come to free English classes or take internships as hairdressers, cooks, seamstresses or small-business owners.

Amber Pryor, an American living in Medan, has gone beyond traditional volunteering and fund-raising efforts and taken to the Internet to help shine a light on P3M and the sex trade in Medan.

Pryor created a website and a crowd-funding site that is almost midway toward its goal of raising $2,000 to help build a halfway house for the sex workers.

Pryor also hits the streets with other volunteers, handing out condoms and explaining the dangers of unprotected sex. And while some people get upset about the idea of handing out condoms and talking openly about sex, Pryor says she has never encountered anyone who disagreed with what P3M was doing.

"The times I have gone out with P3M at night, I never seen anyone get upset or anything negative really happen," Pryor said. "It's actually the opposite, people get really excited about it and want to learn about how to protect themselves. The lack of knowledge about condoms, HIV/AIDS, and STDs is unbelievable, and P3M provides them with this life-saving education. I think the prostitutes all recognize this and are thankful to P3M for caring about their lives and empowering them."

Wilda, who serves as the coordinator and linchpin of most P3M activities, explained that the reason the organization P3M has such success is that 99 percent of women the organization has come into contact with want to leave that lifestyle.

Wilda went on to say that P3M is currently trying to focus on building a home base, a house where volunteers can come and train the women in any number of skills.

The Indonesian government has also taken a strong stance against the AIDS epidemic, and is committed to helping educate and protect its citizens. Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi explained earlier this month at an event marking World AIDS Day that next year her ministry would distribute 10 million condoms to commercial sex workers.

But no matter how many condoms are handed out, if there is no support system in place and no volunteers taking to the streets to educate women about STDs, HIV/AIDS and alternatives to the sex-trade industry, prostitution will continue to run rampant.

"P3M offers Medanese the opportunity to truly fight evil in a very real way. Every day they pull those who are in darkness toward the light," said Jason Baerhold, a supporter, who teaches English in Medan.

"These are people who do not simply shake their head and 'tut, tut' at the hidden evil in the world. These are the shining souls who get up every morning and seek out the places of the deepest suffering. They face the blackest evil every day. Not for money or fame, but because someone has to do something." P3M (Perempuan Peduli Pedila Medan)

[For more information, go to www.indiegogo.com/p3m.]