Introduction 1Few areas of social research in Indonesia are so fraught with controversy, contradiction and willful misunderstanding as the issue of heterosexual prostitution. On the surface of social discourse, the sale of sexual services is almost universally condemned. Particular criticism is levelled at women engaged in such transactions. They are called wanita tuna susilaβwomen without moralsβ and are often stereotyped as predatory.
In contrast little is said about the men who are their customers. From time to time feminists and religious moralists attempt to focus attention on pria tuna susila men without morals , but the terminology has always failed to capture the popular imagination. In this context prostitution in Indonesia is full of contradictions.
Though easily found throughout the land, it is the subject of broad condemnation. Placed in a legal status of great ambiguity, the institutions of prostitution are often owned by governments, managed by former government officials, and subject to both regulation and taxation.
Prostitution in Indonesia differs greatly in form, social setting and operation from those commercial sex institutions of Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, and also displays many important regional variations. The reasons for these interesting patterns are to be found in Indonesian history, legal development, culture and systems of governance. The Commoditization of Women in Indonesian History 2The origins of modern prostitution in Indonesia can be traced back to the time of Javanese kingdoms in which the commoditization of women was an integral part of the feudal system.
Two of the most powerful and lasting Javanese kingdoms were formed in , when the kingdom of Mataram was divided into two: the Kesunanan Surakarta and Kesultanan Yogyakarta.
