Adolescent Prostitution Client’s Knowledge on Reproductive Health

Rahesli Humsona, Mahendra Wijaya, Sri Yuliani and Sigit Pranawa

Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia

{rahesli64, sriyuliani63}@staff.uns.ac.id

Keywords: adolescent prostitution Client’s, reproductive health, peer education strategy.

Abstract: The objective of research was to identify the characteristics of adolescent prostitution client’s, their knowledge

on reproductive health, and their sexual attitude and behavior. This research employed Bourdieu’s social

practice theory through habitus, capital and domain encompassing it. The research method employed was

descriptive qualitative one. The sample consisting of 19 informants were selected using purposive sampling,

data was collected using in-depth interview and FGD, data validation was carried out using source and method

triangulation, and data analysis was conducted using an interactive model. The result of research showed that

the characteristic of adolescent prostitution client’s come from various social and economic background.

Majority adolescent prostitution clients have inadequate knowledge on reproductive health. Habitus about

reproductive health was obtained from parents, school, social environment, and mass media, particularly

internet. The values contained in the knowledge on reproductive health were positive and negative values

constituting adolescent prostitution client’s cultural capital. Adolescent prostitution client’s sexual behavior

was affected by cultural and economical capitals owned, and domain encompassing. Considering the

importance of Group Membership to the adolescents, this research recommended to improve knowledge on

reproductive health using peer education strategy.

1 INTRODUCTION

Sexual relation should be done by adult only, so that

prostitution client should have been adult as well.

However some studies show some of prostitution

clients are adolescents. For example, Bindle (2010)

suggest that some of 103 informants using

prostitutions in London are 18-24 years old.

Similarly, Cheung, et al (2011) found that some

female and male adolescents have sexual relation

with money as the return in Hongkong. For Indonesia,

the case of adolescent prostitution clients still 15

years old is found in Surakarta as well (Humsona et

al., 2015). The findings of studies conducted in

London, Hong Kong and Surakarta confirm Brown’s

(2005) conclusion that all classes, religions, age, and

ethnic groups are represented by the prostitution

clients.

Sexual relation done in adolescence will be more

risky physiologically and psychologically (Sciortino,

1999; Humsona et al., 2016). Psychologically, they

are vulnerable to sexually-transmitted diseases and

HIV/AIDS. Psychologically, adolescents have not

been able to assume the risk of pregnancy

responsibly. The attempt of reducing prostitution

among adolescents is difficult to be successful, as in

sexual relation in which the actors are both

adolescents, sexual relation is like only a joyful game

(Humsona and Yuliani, 2016). For that reason, there

should be non-juridical approach used as an

intervention for the clients, one of which is to provide

reproductive health education. The objective of

research was to identify the characteristics of

adolescent prostitution clients in Surakarta, their

knowledge on reproductive health, and sexual attitude

and behavior. This research was taken place in

Surakarta, as the data of Child Protection

Commission (KPA) showed that the cumulative case

of HIV/AIDS in Surakarta reached 552 with 176

deaths. This figure puts Surakarta on the second

position with the largest HIV/AIDS cases in Central

Java (Harahap, 2011; Purnamasari and Humsona,

2016). Considering that one group with high risk of

being infected with HIV/AIDS and sexually-

transmitted disease is prostitution clients, the result of

this research are important findings.

Humsona, R., Wijaya, M., Yuliani, S. and Pranawa, S.

Adolescent Prostitution Client’s Knowledge on Reproductive Health.

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 2, pages 61-65

ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2

2 METHOD

This research was taken place in Surakarta City. The

research method employed was qualitative one with

phenomenological approach. The sample consisting

of 19 informants were selected using purposive

sampling, while data was collected using in-depth

interview and FGD (Krueger, 1994; Irwanto, 2006).

For some informants, in-depth interview was

conducted in some different locations according to

the informants’ wish: Surakarta, Semarang,

Yogyakarta, and Magelang. Data validation was

carried out using source and method triangulations,

while data analysis was carried out using an

interactive model of analysis encompassing data

reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing

(Miles and Huberman, 1992).

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Characteristics of Adolescent

Prostitution Clients in Surakarta

Prostitution client is anyone making sexual relation

by giving reward. Brown (2005: 152) mentioned that,

the rich men often come to nightclubs to buy high-

class call girls, while cheap brothel sector tends to use

the less rich ones as their clients. Considering that

adolescents still have economic dependency, they

will come to the location appropriate to their financial

condition.

Using Bourdieu’s practical theory, attitude and

behavior of clients are conceived through habitus,

capital, and domain encircling it. Habitus includes

knowledge, thinking and action. Rational action is

human beings’ activity based on its rationality in

achieving certain objective, but the rationality is also

based on knowledge obtained from social and

institutionalized family education. Habitus is a

practical sense encouraging the actor to act and to

react in specific situations in a previously

uncalculated way, and not merely a conscious

obedience to the rules (Prasetyawati and Ramli,

2012).

Habitus is the result of skill becoming practical

action (should not always be realized) that is then

translated into an apparently natural ability

developing in certain social environment (Bourdieu,

1977). In the process of acquiring the skill, the created

structures change into the creating ones. What is

believed as a creative freedom is actually the result of

structure limitation. So habitus becomes driving,

thinking, and representation sources (Haryatmoko,

2003).

Economic, cultural, social and symbolic capitals

allow the creation of social scope structure. Out of

those capitals, economic and cultural capitals are the

determinants in providing the most relevant

differentiation criteria to the developed society scope.

It is this that is called capital structure.

Concept of habitus is inseparable from struggle

domain concept. Those two concepts are very

fundamental as they presuppose two-way relation:

objective (social) and habitus structures that have

been integrated into the actor (Bourdieu, 1977). The

struggle domain (champ) concept is very desirable

because in a very scope-differentiated society,

objective relations have irreducible typicality in the

relation governing other area. However, basically

every area is colored by Bourdieu’s postulate

(Haryatmoko, 2003), that in all society there are

master and mastered.

The result of research showed that the prostitution

clients tend to be younger currently. This research

finds that the clients have made sexual relation

commercially since they were 15 years old. However,

some informants said that actually they have known

prostitution since they were in elementary school.

Their status is generally student and college student.

They come from inside or outside Surakarta City.

Viewed from marital status, are generally not

married. Even they stated confidently that they will

stop their habit after they have gotten married later.

Adolescent prostitution clients come from a

variety of social classes. The lower-class clients come

to open prostitution location (e.g. RRI area, Tirtonadi

terminal, or former Bale Kambang tourist

destination). These locations are opened enough,

everyone can come in easily. Meanwhile, upper-

middle class clients may attend motor race, use

procurer, and social media. Through social media,

adolescent clients can arrange further dating and

negotiation easily. The girls whom they like usually

work in entertainment places such as karaoke, as they

are beautiful, attractive, clean and not fussy.

Using Bourdieu’s practical theory, adolescent

prostitution clients can be understood through

habitus, capital and domain encircling them

(Prasetyawati and Ramli, 2012). Knowledge on

reproductive health is inculcated by family, school,

and society. However, the value of protecting

themselves from negative influence is not easy to

maintain, moreover for those still adolescent. The

domain where they are will color the choice they take.

When they are adolescent, in addition to family,

membership group also affects them. In addition to

ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education

family and school, knowledge is further gotten from

social environment such as playmate inside or outside

school.

Alex and Boy, for example, unintentionally

attended sex party event when they were in Senior

High Schools. This experience became their capital to

be prostitution client. For adolescent clients,

interaction with this social environment is even

considered as more important than that with family.

Considering the considerable effect of group on

adolescence, the knowledge on reproductive health is

dominated by information coming from their peer.

Therefore, value and norm inculcated in family or

school, can be replaced with group value. When the

group has value of free sex, this permissive attitude

can encourage the adolescents to establish sexual

relation in prostitution to get group’s recognition.

Additionally, the joyful obtained from sexual relation

makes adolescent prostitution clients ignore noble

character, decorum, and responsibility tenets. If they

have economic capital, they will choose more

discretionarily. Habitus, cultural capital, economic

capital, and domain determine the action taken by

adolescent prostitution clients. Even this research also

finds that familiarity with, choice of, and ways of

using gadget are affected by group. The attractive

content for adolescents related to reproductive health

is affected by group as well.

3.2 Attitude and Behavior of

Adolescent Prostitution Clients

Reproductive health according to Family Care

International is a complete health situation including

physical, mental and social aspects relevant to the

functioning of reproductive system. Reproductive

system contains a number of elements largely can be

divided into two categories: sexual health and

reproductive health (Sciortino, 1999).

Included into definition of sexual health,

according Dixon-Mueller (1993), are the following

elements: (1) avoided from sexually-transmitted

diseases, (2) avoided from dangerous practice and

violence, (3) control over sexual access (including

sexual abuse), (4) sexual satisfaction, and (5)

information on sexuality. Elements of reproductive

health are, among others: (1) protecting (and ceasing)

unexpected pregnancy securely and effectively, (2)

protecting from dangerous reproductive practices, (3)

choosing contraceptives and satisfied with

contraceptives, (4) information on contraceptives and

reproduction, (5) secure pregnancy and delivery, and

(6) fertility management.

One important factor that should be present to

achieve an ideal reproductive health situation is the

protected individual reproductive right. Reproductive

right is the elaboration of human rights including

three basic rights: (1) the partners’ or the individual’s

right to decide freely and to be responsible for

children number and space, and to get information

and tool for that, (2) right to achieve standard sexual

and reproductive health, and (3) right to make

decision free of discrimination, compulsion, or

violence.

The result of research showed that all informants

have ever obtained material about reproductive health

from school. The material is delivered with lecturing

method in the classroom, and then the students are

given opportunity of questioning. Reproductive

health is not an independent subject, but it is inserted

into Biology, Social Science, and Religion subjects.

So, teacher delivers Reproductive Health material

with different material. Reproductive health material

in Biology subject contains knowledge about human

body organs. In Social Science, it uses an approach to

social relation between human beings based on local

value and norm. Meanwhile, in Religion subject,

moral approach is used according to respective

religion.

In addition to from school, the students acquire

reproductive health knowledge from house. Mothers

give their daughter the knowledge on reproductive

health more dominantly, while fathers give their son.

To complement the adolescents’ knowledge on

reproductive health, Karang Tarunas (youth

organizations) in some kelurahans (villages) have

ever held education about reproductive health.

Adolescents’ enthusiasm is good enough and this

activity can increase their previous knowledge.

Knowledge on reproductive health is acquired

most dominantly from friend and mass media.

Adolescents usually trust more in the knowledge from

friends and mass media. The sources include

pornographic VCD, internet, and social media.

Despite knowledge from various sources,

adolescents’ knowledge on reproductive health is

inadequate, for example some of them still assume

that sexual relation made for the first time will not

result in pregnancy. So, if they make sexual relation

once only, it unlikely will result in pregnancy. Such

assumption is obtained from friends or

boy/girlfriends. In addition, only few adolescents

know that there is a risk of being infected with

sexually transmitted disease and the way of coping it.

Some adolescents do not always use condom in

making sexual relation. Some others clean themselves

by taking a bath only after making sexual relation.

Only few adolescents find out that sexual relation

made in adolescence will be risky of being infected

with sexually transmitted disease an HIV/AIDS.

The clients have ever experienced the risk of

making sexual relation with different partners. Their

Adolescent Prostitution Client’s Knowledge on Reproductive Health

reproductive organ is itchy. Considering the

information obtained from their friend, the adolescent

clients then consumed antibiotics they buy from

pharmacy. And they recovered within a week. They

have not regretted their deed and do not worry about

the risk. Even when they develop some irreversible

disease later, they have known where they should

look for healing, to a healthcare worker conducting

medical practical works. Many patients come to him

and majority of them develop reproductive organ

disease.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Many studies on prostitution have been done, but the

one studying specifically the clients is still difficult to

found, moreover, the one about adolescent clients.

Using qualitative method and phenomenological

approach, this research can reveal the adolescents’

deviating sexual behavior.

Adolescents’ knowledge on reproductive health is

inadequate, but their sexual behavior is far beyond the

material of reproductive health taught so far through

school and family. Adolescents’ knowledge on

reproductive health is inadequate, for example, there

is an assumption that sexual relation made for the first

time will not result in pregnancy. In addition, only

few adolescents know the risk of being infected with

sexually transmitted disease and the way of coping

with it. This research also finds that some Elementary

School students have been prostitution clients.

Habitus, cultural capital, economic capital, and

domain determine the action taken by adolescent

prostitution clients.

Knowledge on reproductive health is dominated

with information from peer. Even this research finds

as well that familiarity with, choice of, and ways of

using gadget are affected by group. The attractive

content for adolescents related to reproductive health

is affected by group as well. This research concludes

that reproductive health content has been out of date.

The contribution of research lies on reforming

stage, that reproductive health content should be

reformed with innovative material, method and

strategy consistent with adolescents’ need. It can be

done, among others, using peer education strategy

(Haberland and Rogow, 2013; Muis 2011), to reduce

adolescents’ interest in establishing sexual relation.

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