CHAPTER3
By: Dewi Linggasari
GAHARU AND PROSTITUTES IN
ASMAT’S LAND
The
local midwife working in the bearing room was affected for a while. She finds
the uncommon disease on Mrs. Partus being examined then: syphilis which has
formed kondiloma –cabbage’s flower—How long did the poor mother have suffer
from a veneral disease without understanding that she has to be medicated
immediately? Where did it come and does she notice that she suffers from a
dirty illness? How come an Asmat woman is infected syphilis?
The
local midwife, for a moment, was wondering before she could work well in
helping a birth. The situation in Asmat, in late years, since gaharu (Aquilaria filarial) a kind of
tree which smells fragnant, spread over, gives an exact answer. But why does it
have to be the Asmat women?
Veneral
disease is not a new problem for Asmat people, long time before gaharu is
ubiquitous, the disease has spread over the area, there were 157 cases two
years before the prostitute came there. In Bisman village especially, veneral
disease was known since 1977 when the kontingen members of rowing competition
in the ninth PON (some kind of competition as Olimpic Game) who went to
Surabaya to participate, had sexual intercourse with prostitutes of Surabaya
and take the veneral disease home to Ewer, one of the nine village in Agats
district5). The disease cana be recognized by the victims wih pus coming out
from the genital. As the victims walks, they open their thighs little to reduce
the pain.
In
1996 gaharu started to spread over in Asmat. The wood-seekers were coming to
gain benefit. First, they came alone or with male friends. However, at the
later times, they came with prostitutes who are usually brought together to the
forest. The women are prostitutes who be paid expensively as the reward. In
August 1996, few month after the situation in BIs Agats was made fragnant by
gaharu, there came four prostitutes who brought by the wood-seeker from Timika.
When the four prostitutes were brought out by the security, twelve prostitutes
came and lived in Asmat Inn. The prostitutes ran smoothly, even the official
permisiion from the local government never existed. When the twelve prostitutes
were brought out agan by the security after being jailed one night, there came
forty prostitutes after few weeks later, when a ship docked. Asmat inn did
became busy. An officer, a person of Indonesian Armed Forces, and businessmen
were involved in the prostitution, so that it could last. Some reaction rose.
The inn owner who could take advantage from the room rental and the wood
seekers who could use the prostitutes service, of course, feel comfortable. But
there a sides who became worried about the veneral disease, HIV/AIDS’s 7)
threats, broken homes, anf decadence. Meanwhile, Asmat, who act the host, feel
disturbed. One of them deliberately drank sopi
to get stoned then went berserk and broke the Asmat Inn’s board. The
breaking of the board rose from the feeling of having been offened because the
term ‘Asmat’ was used as inn’s name, meanwhile, in the building using ‘Asmat’
term there is an illegal prostitution which never existed in Asmat area before.
The
entrance bridge to Asmat In also brought
down, the inn was closed by the owner for some moment. The prostitutes did not
seem ti run out of ides to make living in Asmat area, they stayed at the
locals’ house and at the authorized sides’ in the village of Bis Agats. The
prostitution was continuing. The weak government system of the village and the
inability of the local government to overcome the prostitution problem in Asmat
cause the prostitution to run ‘peacfully’ untouched’.
At
the same time, a social part which disagreed with the prostitution became very
unhappy. The unhappiness was finally realized in November 1997 by the mothers’
protest in demanding the prostitution to go away. Along line of mothers cames
to houses the prostitutes lived in, they force them to leave. However, the mothers could not do anything to the
house accommodating most of the
prostitutes because the host was using a megaphone to draw the mothers away.
Three
months after the protesting action, Agats was cleaned away from prostitutes.
That situation did not last long, the prodtitutes came there again with
fluctuating number forty people. The locals’ house were crowded by the new
outsiders and by the visiting guest who should pay Rp. 1,00,000 – Rp. Rp. 200,000
for one time service given by prostitutes. Among the guest, there were Asmatan
and schooling kids who did not ever know exactly the danger of the veneral
disease and HIV/AIDS brought by the prostitutes when they were servicing. There
were also guest having known about the venereal disease danger. However, they
would take the risks for prostitutes’ service. The visitors seemed to be
dependent to the prostitutes’ service thought the dependence brought deadly
danger. Meanwhile, booze also courage the people who firstly had not dare to
visit the prostitutes. Long live Agats’ prostitution then. All days, there
looked the prostitutes wandering around, from the corners of the village to the
forest, where the wood-seekers got gaharu from the first hand.
It
was about three years that the prostitutes were wandering around in Agats,
taking advantage from the wood trade benefit. The pissed community because of
the weak local government’s working system to solve actual problem around
there, immedietly reported to the 2 nd level authority of Merauke with the
perforation to the Indonesian Legislative Assembly and the Provincial Council.
The accusation letter equipped with kinds of society’s demand was finally
responded seriously. In the middle of 1999, some officer who were less capable
and the persons who were involved in a relation with the prostitutes were being
mutated and replaced by new officers and new persons. At the same time, tribal
organization was activated to wipe out booze and to care of the people messing
up because of being stoned.
In
AIDS day, Decembere 1st, 1999, local religion and social personages
signed a joint statement which declared refusal to the prostitutes in Agsts. In
mothers’ day, December 22nd 1999, the mother again, did some
protesting action, sponsored by the organization of Catholic Women (WK), ti
bring the twenty prostitutes, which illegally operated in Agats back to Timika.
The security, which in this case is Agats police department, worked hard,
bringing the prostitutes to Timika. There were two prostitutes married of those
twenty prostitutes.
In
February 2000, the prostitutes were only remained few persons which resulted in
not worrying group, meanwhile, the prostitutes living in the forest are
exeption, because the security personnel’s reach is not far asa that. A
prostitutes who was pregnant without a man responsible gave a birth in the
locak health center to a baby weighing abnormally. As she was pregnant, she was
hiding in the forest, making a living by ‘ball sagu’ until the birth day came.
While the twenty four prostitutes married, now live as the part of the society.
Clarity, that as the days go by they went older, is a strong support to start a
household life.
A
house that a prostitute lived in, in a night, was burned down after the hostess
pour out kerosene and lighted it with a match. The argument seemed to be
between the husband and the wife of the rental house, so that in Februari 18th,
the house was remained in ruins. A new era of hope that prostitution will meet
the end started to rise, however it did not last long. The rental house was
built up again, new faces of prostitutes were coming. A prostitution house was
permantly built around the district’s office and on the right of a kindergarten
school. The twice-monthly arrival of Pangrango ship caused the mobility of the prostitutes
to get easier. Every time the ship docked, there came new faces to replace the
old faces of prostitutes long gone.
Agats
local health center was once again shocked by the kondiloma case from Mr. Partus’s
bearing room. For the second time, that poor Asmat woman was infected by
veneral disease, unknown and unmedicated until the birth day came. The
kondiloma could only be cured by an operation, intensive treatment, and
sexually healthy behavior, so that the disease could not infect. The parties
objecting the prostitutes’ existence, who have the biggest influence to spread
venereal disease, in Asmat, felt interrupted again. But the feeling of being
interrupted was stuck in a blocked valve. There is not even a single forum to
voice, there is not a party able to clean the area from the veneral disease and
HIV/AIDS threats7).
There
were sides getting involved and taking advantage from the prostitutes’
existence, so that the prostitution ran smoothly. Then people are allowed to
disagree or raise objection but still, they had to lose. The lose was terrible
situation for Asmat preservation. Especially, women as the passive acceptor of
the veneral disease and HIV/AIDS. Those two cases of Mrs. Partus’s kondiloma
are evidence of how bad the effect of prostitutes’ existence, as the most
potential side to cause the disease to spread, is.
The
capital area of Agats was finally cleared from prostitution when millennium
shift was happening, when a new head of district, Elissa Kambu, S.Sos reported
the social fidgety there on the prostitution existence to the Head of Merauke
Area, which was given a straight response then. The prostitutes were straightly
obliged to be brought back to Timiks. The dark sides history of the area was
temporarily closed. Few underground rostitutes living in the rental houses
seemed like to be in-progress infection. What did happen to the untraced
prostitutes living in the wood then?
***
Linggasari
et al (2000: 29) partially states that the tradition which has been inherited
by the elders palces sex as a legitimate couple would create power, fresness,
spirit, and courage. After a sexual intercourse , a male Asmatan would be more
capable of doing –mengayau.
Nevertheless, sexual intercourse is an activity to regenerate with
reproduction. In orther words, that legitimate sexual intercourse satisfies
psychologically and biologically can appropriately satisfies psychologically
and biologically can appropriately be said. Ces
Manais is an Asmatan term to refer a healthy sexual intercourse.
Further,
sex does not only bring positive result –Ces
Manais but also the negative one –Namir
Manawei, would appear as a result of an unmarried sexual intercourse. The
intercourse could even cause the worst effect, death, because dishonesty could
result in fight until death. Death could also happen because free sex could
cause veneral disease and HIV/AIDS.
The
prostitutes’ appearance, in Agats especially, has brought up veneral disease
for more than 100%. For 25 months before the prostitutes operated, in Agats
local health center’s report, it was counteh that there were 157 cases of
veneral disease. Twenty four months after the prostitutes operated, the number
increase to 399 cases, 32 of those were nine and eleven years old, were
infected GO as the result of raping. Those numbers were really reported in the
local health center after the patient came to get some medical treatment.
Meanwhile , in satellite health center of Ewer, it was reported that eleven
veneral disease victims were in the end of 1999, consisting of five men and six
women. One victim of those was dead.
In
the first few months of prostitutes’ appearance in Agats, there were no medical
persons who care for their health, because their appearance was a new silly
thing. However , interaction continually took place. The need of each other
caused the two sides built a good relation. The prostitutes needed medical help
so that they could retain their health, getting high-dosage antibiotic
continually to avoid veneral disease. Meanwhile, the paramedic needed extra
salary, because the standart salary would never be enough to fulfill monthly
living needs in crisis.
On
one hand, the paramedic’s service could retard the veneral disease to spread,
but on the other hand, the services was like an umbrella covering up the
prostitutes from disease, so that they could peacefully operate. The monthly
report of Agats health center showed well, that although the technical efforts
to prevent the prostitutes from veneral disease were done, but there were still
syphilis and GO acting as pathetic symptoms. At the same time, the HIV/AIDS’s
symptoms were inseparable with the former symptoms.
AIDS,
which is an accumulation of troubling complexity, is a deadly threat after the
unhealthy sexual behavior and the spreading diseases. Up to this time, those
can not be predictable how many Agatsians who have been infected by HIV and
positively AIDS. The blood test done by o doctor of Jakarta Health Departement
in 1996, until now, was never reported. Five years later, as the prostitutes,
providing as the highes risk-infecting group, have been operating in Agats, the
blood test was never done. The question of, how many are Agatsians infected by
HIV which keep coming, waits and answer.
A
schooling-aged kid died because of AIDS in the village of BAsim, in December 1st
1996. In 1999, there was a patient who died with AIDS identifying marks. Four
months before the death, a doctor found the patient ill. He is an Asmatan who
worked outside the area and the habit of having intercourse with prostitutes.
Veneral disease is the main effect as the risk. When he went back to Asmat
visiting his family, the strength to stay up in normal condition had run out.
In the age of less than forty, the weight of his body no longer seemed to be
normal, because it was smaller by day. The specified symptom on the tongue was
strengthening the suspiciousness to AIDS.
The
Asmatan concept, that a person is considered ill and deserving medication after
there is no move, has been proved. The patient came to the health center when
his body terribly skinny, his tongue was full of infection, and he could not
anymore stand. The paramedic dealing with the patient became suspicious and
worked more careful, because of fear HIV infection, so that, even a blood test
did not succed to do. In Agats health center’s laboratory, there was no
HIV/AIDS tester, until the middle of 2001 there was no agreement in this area
to run HIV test for all members of society. The medical help given was in vain,
his live was not saved, he died with question: “Did he die because of AIDS?”
Six
cases of HIV/AIDS were found in 1992, in Papua. Seven years later, in November
1999, the number increased to 246 cases. The cases consisted of 160 cases of
HIV and 86 cases were, in entire Papua, which numbered 174 cases or 65,4%. In
early 2001, it increased to 320 cases, fifty of those were found by blood donor
test. In broad estimation, there was one victim in each group of 1200 Merauke
people, it meant that in the 6.405 Agats inhabitans, there were five inhabitans
which were victims.
Basically,
HIV/AIDS problem is sexually risky behavior, which means that it is one’s, who
likes to have sexual intimacies with different pair in each intimacy, behavior.
Such behavior highly risks in HIV/AIDS’s spread. If one has been infected by
the disease and then has a sexual intercourse with a “clean” one, so the
‘clean’ one supposed to potentially be infected. Prostitutes and men who like
to have sexual intercourse continually with different pairs are potentially
infected because of the unlimited intercourse. Why is the number of the victims
in Merauke massive? Probably, this following explanation could be the
background of the answer, HIV/AIDS viruses were brought by Thailand fishermen
finishing in Arafura Sea and the temporarily docked in Merauke harbor and in
few spots of prostitution, the fishermen met the prostitutes. In other times,
the prostitution, the fishermen met the prostitutes. In other times, the
prostitutes also had sexual intercourses with the people around the
prostitution spots, including Asmatans who traveled to Merauke and the other
tribe’s people. The Asamatans who had been infected after then, went back home
and had sexual intercourse with their wife, or wives for those had polygamy.
The viruses were ubiquitous then. In 1992, two Thailand fishermen were positively
infected, those viruses spread to prostitutes to infect the customers and
housewives.
Prostitution,
commonly, is the older profession which lasts in humanity’s history. It is
certain form of sex out of marriage, being sexually intimate with anybody,
exposed and it almost all times costs payment for sexual intercourse or others
kinds of sexual intimacy giving satisfaction to those who pay or customers
(Kinsey, 1963, POna, 1988: 1) The prostitutes get laid with their clints in
order to sell their body to the clients. Buyers are kings (Indonesian Idiom),
as the result, king’s wishes are obligatory in sexual intercaourse, such as the
buyers unwilling to use condoms. The socialization that condoms could prevent
one from the viruses receives a cold-blood argument from the prostitution
customers, they state, “I’m down with it!” The
prostitutes are weakly abstaining to push their customers to use
condoms. They worry about their income because their customers prefer not to
use condoms (Pona, 1998: ii).
Condoms,
as a thin membrance which technically protects every individual from venereal
diseases and HIV/AIDS, is unknown by all members of society. The people who had
known even, at times, prefer not to use it, although it is used for preventing
from venereal disease and HIV/AIDS, with the a reason: “I’m down with it!”,
meanwhile, the prostitutes are weak party to force the customers to use it. As
the result, venereal disease spread. HIV/AIDS are the threat following at the
later time. Two Mrs. Partus who have kondiloma are the later time. Two Mrs.
Partus who have kondiloma are the actual proofs of the venereal disease spread
in women as passive party who are capable for HIV/AIDS to infect.
Low
voice against the prostitutes’ appearance is heard still. But the voice has
remained echoing with no reason. The party who could take advantage from the
prostitutes’ service even reacts sarcastically in the scratch of graffiti on
the vegetable market’s wall saying, “AIDS break out violently, condoms act!!”
condom have acted, but venereal diseases have spread and HIV/AIDS become
horrible threat.
--------------------------
5) The Agats
inhabitans number in 6.032, 3.329 men and 3.052 women. Of the number, there are
1.379 husbands spread over in time villages: BIs Agats, Asuwetsy, Yomoth, Peer,
Uwus, Beriten, BIsman or Ewer, Yufri and Yaun. These village are located in the
side of the river and only be reached by water transportation. Bisman, having
the known village Ewer, is the nearest village to the district,s center of
Agats, which is Bis Agats, extending 15 minutes of a speed boat and Johnson 40
PK trip. Uwus is the farthest village extending three or four hour of the same
trip (Linggasari, 2002: 23 – 24).
6) PMS –veneral
disease—is contagious disease from obe to another throught sexual intercourse
(Djaelani et al). In relation with HIV/AIDS infection, it shows that veneral
disease (PMS) could increase HIV risk sexually (Directorat General of PPM and
PLP of the Indonesia Health Departement, Indonesia Research Group of Contagious
Disease, 1996: 1) AIDS –Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome—is a syndrome or a
set of symptom or a group od disease. Those kinds of symtoms happen because the
system of human’s immunity is damage by HIV –Human Immuno Deficiency Virus
–entering human’s body. The damage of the system makes the body susceptible to
virus disease, bacterial disease, and other kinds of disease, including the
bacterial which actually do not threat a healthy human (Djaelani, 1996: 2)
7)HIV/AIDS in Papua tends to rise in worrying number,
since it was firstly found in 1992. The six case found, seven years later, in
November 1999, increase to 246 cases, 160 cases of HIV and 86 cases of AIDS. If
it was counted in percentage, then the most cases were in Merauke area; 65,04%.
In the early 2001, the number increase to 320 cases, and 50 cases of those were
found throught blood donor test. According the 320 existed cases, it was
counted that there was one, of 1.200 Merauke people infected Agats, one of
Merauke’s districts, had 6.405 inhabitants. Mathematically counted, af all
inhabitans, there was 5 – 6 people were infected.
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