2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesia Faces Rising Tide of HIV

By Trish Anderton
Surabaya, Indonesia
12 September 2007

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is a growing threat in Asia. The United Nations says nearly a million Asians contract the virus each year. It is spreading fast in Indonesia, where prostitution is a major cause. Trish Anderton visited one organization in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, that is trying to slow the spread of HIV AIDS, and finds the work is slow and difficult.

In Indonesia's sex capital of Surabaya, clinic workers chat with a client as they usher¹ her into a small, plain office. The 16 year old girl, who did not want her name to be used, is dressed in tight t-shirt and jeans.

She has been a sex worker for more than a year. Talking with an outreach worker, she recounts the moment she got into the business - when she caught her fiancé having sex with another woman.

"I should have slapped him in the face, but he slapped me instead," she said. "I wanted to slap the girl he was with, but she slapped me instead. So the next morning I ran away."

The girl says she has tried to find other work, but without success. Today she wants to be tested for HIV. She and the outreach worker review the basic facts about how HIV is transmitted. The girl knows she should always have her clients use a condom, but admits she cannot convince them. Even her current boyfriend will not wear a condom.

She says she wants to, but her boyfriend does not, because he says it is less enjoyable.

This inability to dictate² the terms of sex is a daily reality for prostitutes in Indonesia, says Esthi Susanti Hudiono, head of Hotline Surabaya - the organization that runs this office.

Indonesian sex workers at Jakarta's notorious Kramat Tunggak brothel complex wait outside one of the many bars (File)

"Sex workers do not have bargaining power. That belongs to the customers," said Eshti. "It has proven almost impossible to give sex workers bargaining power in terms of condoms."

Hotline Surabaya runs employment programs to provide alternatives to prostitution and a theater group to help women learn to express themselves. But Esthi says that peer pressure is stronger than individual rights, meaning stronger weapons are needed against HIV. She believes condoms have to be seen as mandatory³, and that message has to come from the top down.

"If the elite⁴ don't support us, there won't be change," she said. "So the elite of government and the elite of society are important."

Her group successfully lobbied for a local regulation in 2004 requiring that customers of sex workers use condoms. But this has so far remained a largely symbolic⁵ victory, because the law is not enforced.

An estimated seven to 10 million men visit commercial sex workers each year in Indonesia. Many have not been educated about the dangers of HIV. According to the United Nations, prevention efforts in 2004 reached about 18 percent of female sex workers and less than seven percent of their clients.

There are some signs of progress, however. Data suggest the level of knowledge about HIV is improving among both prostitutes and their partners.

While it tries to combat the rising tide of infections, Hotline Surabaya is also working to prevent today's children from becoming tomorrow's sex workers.

At a sparsely⁶ furnished office in one of Surabaya's red light districts, volunteers teach kids from the neighborhood, including children of sex workers.

Prostitutes' children often dislike going to school because fellow students and even teachers ostracize⁷ them. Many are not allowed to enroll⁸ in school at all, because they do not have birth certificates.

Program manager Joris Lato and his staff talk to the parents and try to convince them to educate their children and respect their rights.

Joris says many parents exploit their own children. They send them out to sing and beg in the streets. When they get older, the transition to prostitution is easy.

Indonesia's economy is improving, but its poverty level remains⁹ high, with nearly half the population living on $2.00 a day or less. The poor have limited access to education, health care and shelter.

Until that changes, groups such as Hotline Surabaya are not likely to have much influence on national statistics. But they may help individuals - such as the 16-year old prostitute - to improve their chances of survival.

1 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

2 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

5 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

6 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 ostracize   

v.放逐，排斥

参考例句：

• He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike.他因不支持罢工而受同事排斥。
• She claims she's being ostracized by some members of her local community.她声称受到当地社区一些人的排挤。

8 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。