Please Close That "Sex Spa" Next to The Mosque and Muslim School

It is quite regretful that this blog has been dormant in the past few months. Like many idealistic (or hopeful?) people living in Indonesia, I am still continually trying to accept to the double-standards life many Indonesians lead today.

Perhaps seeing the construction of the first MRT station outside UOB Plaza ignited the desire in me to do something about the rising number of illegal sex establishments in this city. Last week, I finally gathered some energy and courage to sent appeal letters to several Muslim organizations in Jakarta, Kantor Walikota of Jakarta Pusat, Kantor Walikota of Jakarta Selatan, and Kantor DKI, hoping to close down Delta Spa in Kuningan which is located right next to a Moqsue (Masjid Baitul Ilmi) and a Muslim school (Sekolah Islam Disdik). FYI, Kuningan is an elite area where most of the embassies are located. This particular Delta Spa is within walking distance to the Austrian Embassy, Swiss Embassy, Hungarian Embassy, Netherland Embassy, and the Moroccan Embassy. It is highly likely that Delta Spa's clientele belong to the elite group (makes alot of sense for a country with the GDP of 3,592USD in 2012) But allowing a whore house prosper right next to a Muslim school and a Mosque? Even as a non-Muslim, I see this is as a blatant insult to Islam... 

Location map of Delta Spa Kuningan:

For those who are not aware what Delta Spa is, you can easily get more information from this site (pretty screwed up, isn't it that you can get SUPER DETAILED INFO ON WHORE HOUSES in this MUSLIM COUNTRY just by doing A FEW CLICKS ON GOOGLE...) Why doesn't the Muslim government do something about this? Put up some kinda internet filter at least?

http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/01/delta-spa-many-different-branches-in.html

Below is another disturbing article on Delta Spa entitled "Pamper the Men". The article mentions that you can be a silver member for 300USD/month or a gold member for 500USD/month, this membership can be used in all Delta Spa outlets in Indonesia. Well, if a member gets his sex service everyday, he only pays 10USD for one sex service a day... Isn't it so disturbingly cheap?

http://www.bisnis-kti.com/index.php/2012/01/info-hotel-delta-spa-clarion-manjakan-para-pria/

Delta Spa is not the only massage plus plus parlors in Indonesia, there are several other well-known brands as you can see from the jakarta100bars website. I am highlighting this particular one, hoping to move some government officials to close the one they built right next to a school and religious institution in Kuningan. 

In the past 3 years, I have learned how to to identify massage plus plus parlors/ spas just by looking at the building exterior... Usually, the spa building does not have any windows (worried of specific sounds escaping from inside the rooms?), their main door usually faces the side and if they do face in front the main door will not be made of glass or any materials that allow visibility from outside, the spa signage will be made of neon light, and the signage will not bear the word "family" in it. You can easily find such establishment in middle-high-class neighborhoods in Jakarta... Yes, there is probably one whore house/ whore spa 10 minutes drive from where you live---> if you live in a relatively prosperous area. And remember Jakarta has bad traffic so businessmen who open these facilities make sure they build as many branches as possible to reach out to their target market. See an example of a "whore factory" building below (Doesn't the building below scream " the ultimate whore house?"):

If you have been reading my blog up to this point, I think you might be interested in reading more about sex trafficking and how sex workers are recruited in Indonesia. The following publication by ICMC will shed more light on the facts and issues of child and women trafficking in Indonesia.

http://www.icmc.net/system/files/publication/trafficking_of_women_and_children_in_indonesia_51332.pdf

ICMC has put in efforts to combat such trafficking in Indonesia (not too successful it seems). I believe one way we can help address this issue is to raise people's awareness about the ongoing trafficking happening in Indonesia. We can start by sharing a little or some information to our friends and co-workers.

Will my letter of appeal to close down Delta Spa in Kuningan ever reach Mr. Djokowi/ Mr. Ahok? Will any of the Muslim organizations even lift a finger to move (or close) this business away from the Muslim school and Mosque? We can only wait and see...)

Start small... Hope big... Take actions...