SURABAYA. Scenes of scantily clad women sitting on long sofas behind glass windows in the brothels of Dolly red-light district look set to be a thing of a past, as the Surabaya administration officially closed the area on Wednesday.
Witnessed by Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, East Java Governor Soekarwo and Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri, 100 residents of Dolly in the Putat Jaya area read the declaration of closure of an area once dubbed Southeast Asia’s largest red-light district.
The declaration stated the residents wanted Dolly to become clean, safe and free from prostitution. The residents also wanted to build their area into an economic center based on their religion and regulations.
Several children living in the red-light district read from the Koran, before residents read the declaration in a ceremony held at the nearby Islamic center in Dukuh Kupang.
According to the data from the city’s social agency, 1,020 sex workers and 311 pimps depended on Dolly for their livelihoods. The area, which consisted of 52 brothels, was first established by a sex worker named Dolly Khavit in 1967.
To overcome the impact of the closure, the Social Affairs Ministry has allocated Rp 8 billion (US$676,859) to be disbursed to sex workers and pimps, with each individual receiving Rp 5 million.
After the announcement, brothel operators said they would resume activities on Thursday evening.
“Dolly is closed today not because we’re afraid of the mayor’s decision, but residents are focused on securing the area and preventing security personnel, as well as members of the FPI [Islam Defenders Front] who threatened to conduct sweeps, from entering,” Buchori, who also operates a brothel and food stall in Dolly, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
“Residents are keeping guard in turns. In every corner of the area, an alarm will be triggered to assemble other residents armed with sharp weapons and clubs,” he said.
Buchori said residents were willing to die to prevent the closure of Dolly, as they were deeply dependent on it for their livelihoods.
Thousands of residents, sex workers and pimps who rejected the closure blocked access to the red-light area. They almost clashed with hundreds of police officers who tried to open the blockades, but calmed down as the police backed off.
In Jakarta, National Police chief Gen. Sutarman said on Wednesday that the force would fully back the Surabaya administration’s endeavors to close Dolly amid resistance from the local residents, sex workers and pimps.
“We must support whatever decision the regional administration has made,” he said in Jakarta.
“In facing protesters, we try not to use arms. We will try a persuasive approach. We have a lot of experience in closing such establishments. If we keep guard of the place, slowly the protesters will disperse,” Sutarman continued.
Separately, Surabaya municipal secretary Hendro Gunawan said despite the closure, the municipality would not come down hard on closing the red-light district.
“We will not act harshly in closing Dolly. The closure of Dolly will not involve blocking access to Jl. Jarak and will not block smaller streets inside Dolly,” said Hendro.
He added that Surabaya municipality would persuade the occupants and sex workers to change their professions in the long run, until Dolly was completely closed.
Closing Dolly
Nov 2010
Surabaya administration installs CCTV cameras at Dolly to deter new sex workers.
June 2011
Surabaya administration imposes restricted operational hours on the red-light complex, from 24 hours to 16 hours a day.
Nov 2011
East Java Governor Soekarwo announces that his administration will close down all 47 red-light districts spread across the province's 33 regencies and municipalities by 2014. He also says an unlimited budget will be allocated to realize the plan.
Nov 2013
Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini declares her intention to permanently close down Dolly.
June 2, 2014
Risma pledges to close down Dolly by June 18, saying that the closure will be in line with Bylaw No. 7/ 1999 banning the use of a building as a place of prostitution.
June 5, 2014
Dolly sex workers stage a rally to protest the plan to shut down the complex.
June 12, 2014
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) urges the Surabaya administration not to forcibly close down Dolly. Komnas HAM commissioner Dianto Bachriadi says the local administration needs to protect its residents whatever their profession, adding that the closure had the potential to cause financial losses.
June 18, 2014
Surabaya administration officially closes down Dolly.
Facts about Dolly:
- According to the Surabaya Social Agency, at least 1,020 sex workers and 311 pimps worked in the Dolly complex, most of them hailing from outside Surabaya. Dolly was known as the biggest red-light district in Southeast Asia.
- To date, the Surabaya administration has closed down six red-light districts. Tambak Asri, Klakah Rejo and Dupak Bangunsari were followed in December 2013 by the Sememi red-light district and then Jarak and Dolly in 2014. (Indra Harsaputra)