Prostitution has been an issue for years not only in Indonesia but across the world. While prostitution is illegal in most countries, it is legal and well-established in some.
Numerous publications and most forms of entertainment today, emphasizing on sex appeal as prevalent in every area of life, greatly adds to this immoral institution. Most women join prostitution due to an addiction to drugs, while some are forced into it by their providers, who are known as pimps. However, young teen prostitutes enter this lifestyle as an escape and later find themselves trapped in a life they do not want to continue living.
The rampancy of prostitution cannot solely be attributed to economic problems but to leading a luxurious lifestyle as well, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa has pointed out. Lifestyle that demands a lot of material has a tendency towards the consumerism, according to her. If the level of consumerism is high, it is likely that the demand is also very high, and the fulfillment of the demand must be met," the minister remarked.
Prostitutes did not necessarily enter this profession because of debt or poverty, but were drawn by a supposedly luxurious or glamorous lifestyle, the minister added. Many believed it was a kind of freedom to have, but several others felt trapped in a lifestyle they wanted no part of and had begged for a different life. With the risk of being raped, beaten, robbed, or infected, women also chose this as their profession to support their drug addiction habits or for the measly income it provided.
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Although many claimed it was a personal choice, numerous prostitutes described their services as slavery because they were controlled and paid for. Prostitution was a social problem that needed the involvement of all parties to resolve it, according to Minister Parawansa.
