Indramayu has become the region that sells its daughters. They know that, if it becomes necessary in the future, she'll be able to support her whole family. Not every girl here becomes a sex worker, but again and again in these villages we hear the same story: when an Indramayu family has a baby girl, they celebrate. 'They are like a cash cow, but they need to work hard,' Son says.Ī disproportionate number of Indonesia's prostitutes come from this one small cluster of villages in West Java. The parents would get a loan and their daughter would pay it back with her labour, usually over 2 to 3 years.
Son would then tell the parents if their desires were realistic: 'A pimp can see if the girl is pretty enough, how many guests she will get per night. 'If a family wanted to sell their girl, they'd usually come to me and say, 'Can you help my daughter? Can you take her?' 'Okay, what do you want?' I'd say. 'Cash cows': Nur'Asiah, a sex worker in her room in Indramayu, West Java.
