Indonesia has rolled out an ambitious plan to eradicate prostitution, saying all 168 red light districts in the country will be closed down by 2019.
The world's most populous Muslim majority nation plans to abolish the world's oldest profession, demolish all brothels and turn red light districts into parks.
Prostitution is illegal in the country but brothels have flourished across the country despite the ban.
Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said the government has already closed 68 such zones and 100 more will be shut down in three years.
Jakarta city administration is in the process of demolishing the Kalijodo red light district in North and West Jakarta even as the government has rolled out a package for the rehabilitation of the prostitutes who are quitting the zone.
The Social Affairs ministry said the former sex workers in Kalijodo red-light district will be equipped to take up various jobs as they quit the profession.
Minister Khofifah said the ministry has opened a women social working facility (PSKW), which will offer assistance to sex workers.
"This place is open for all former prostitutes from outside Jakarta. We will register them after they arrive here. We continue to coordinate with the Jakarta city administration regarding the closure of Kalijodo," she said, according to AsiaOne.
Corrupting youth
The closure of Kalijodo red-light zone, which housed approximately 500 sex workers, became a hot topic of discussion on the Internet.
The latest crackdown followed a fatal car crash involving a man returning from the red light district in Jakarta.
"We believe that red-light districts will affect children who live nearby negatively. Prostitution can never be erased from the Earth but we must try to stop it corrupting our youth," the minister said.
