JAKARTA - Prostitution is the oldest business in the world, even when compared to the age of the independent Republic of Indonesia in 1945. Since the beginning of Dutch colonialism, prostitution has been the most popular form of entertainment. Even with the controversy. Even so prostitution is very private. By the Dutch, the presence of sex workers or prostitutes was even described as necessary evil. "Lonteku, a necessary crime."
At the start of the Dutch VOC trading partnership to conquer Jayakarta and build Batavia in 1619, the shortage of European women became a problem. The reluctance of the central leadership of the VOC, Heeren Zeventien, was the cause. For Heeren Zeventien, the long and risky journey to the archipelago made them prohibit the sending of women, except for high-ranking VOC officials. The higher ups were allowed to bring their wives and children to the Colonies.
However, the Governor-General of the VOC who had served twice (1619-1623 and 1627-1629), Jan Pieterszoon Coen did not accept this reason. Coen, who was known as a fanatical Calvinist, wanted Heeren Zeventien to immediately send good women to Batavia. In his letter, Coen emphatically wrote that everyone knows that humans cannot live without good women if they want to create a more civilized colony society.
"Your Majesty, if you can't send good married women, please send young women, and we hope it will be better than our experience dating older women," wrote Coen in one of his letters. quoted by Jean Gelman Taylor in the book Social Life in Batavia (2009).
However, the thing that Coen wanted was not fully realized by Heeren Zeventien. As a result, Batavia became an area with many European men and only a few women. The Dutch in Europe began to spin their brains and try various tactics to channel their libido.
First, for those who have a lot of money, it's easy to bring in a wife or lover from the Netherlands. Second, if the money they collect is still small, then they will take native women as concubines as an option. Third, for those who have money and are lazy to take concubines, brothels are the right choice.
Seven years after Batavia was founded - precisely in 1625 - brothels flourished. Quoted by the Dutch historian, Leonard Blusse, the cause of the proliferation of prostitution is none other than the city of Batavia being a "rendezvous" (dating) place for foreign sailors.
"So that brothels flourished in Batavia, which was located in front of the fort in the Fish Market area," said Leonard Blusse in the book The Strange Alliance: Chinese Settlers, Peranakan and Dutch Women in Batavia VOC (1988).
Popular brothels
Many of those who work as sex workers are categorized as street prostitutes. There is also a hidden form of prostitution in the form of concubinage and mortgage. Due to a combination of concubinage and pawnshoping, the sex workers in Batavia encountered matchmakers or prostitutes, commonly known as "mamie".
Therefore, at the beginning of the Dutch in Batavia, it was the Europeans who opened many brothels. Hendrik E. Niemeijer in the book Batavia: Colonial Society of the XVII Century (2012) reveals that the famous brothel was like the hostel "de berebijt" (bear bite) owned by Hubert Yselstein. The popularity was gained because Hubert's brothels were the most frequently recorded in the local court archives.
"The inn is located some distance from the city walls, on Jalan Jaccatra (now Jalan Jakarta) and is not only famous as a place of prostitution, but also as a place for fights, a fencing arena, as well as a hair-pulling direction," wrote Hendrik E. Niemeijer. .
Not only Hubert, other European citizens, Andries also opened brothels in Batavia. No kidding, the local court accused Andries of being the pimp of black sex workers at his home. In the court report, the sex workers were trained to be proficient in serving his guests, who were mostly soldiers and sailors by Andries.
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Even so, brothels are not just European businesses. Asian woman named Sara van Lamay is also attracted by the grains of profit from the prostitution business. Sara, who lived outside the Batavia fortress, was known to run a brothel. Sara's business was quite successful. Because Sara not only colonized Asian girls but also presented Dutch women. One of them is Lysbeth Jansz, from Rotterdam. He was well known by the court.
“In 1692 he was arrested while chatting with three drunken sailors. She (Lysbeth) was exiled for years in the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), and held for seven years in a women's prison in Batavia. However, he was still interested in the city of Batavia. Once released, he immediately returned to his original path of life. His indecent behavior was considered to tarnish the good name of the Dutch nation, "added the famous Dutch historian, Hendrik E. Niemeijer.
Meanwhile, there was also the first prostitution concentration in Batavia for the upper class. The area is called Macao Po. An important figure in writing the history of Jakarta, Alwi Shahab confirmed this. He said Macao Po was a brothel which consisted of level houses which used to be located in front of Jakarta Kota Station.
"It is called that, because the WTS were brought in from Macao by a network of Portuguese and Chinese pimps to entertain Dutch citizens in Binnestadt (around Kota Inten at the present Jakarta Kota public transport terminal). In the 17th century, the tycoons or rich people of Chinese descent were also looking for entertainment in Macao Po, ”said Alwi Shahab in the book Saudagar Baghdad dari Betawi (2004).
Even lower-class prostitution is located not far from Macao Po. To the east of this elite brothel, now Jalan Jayakarta, is a low-class prostitution known as Gang Mangga. No wonder that syphilis at that time was called mango disease.
"Until the 1960s, Jakartans called syphilis 'sick lion king.' It is certain that at that time the term HIV / AIDS was not yet known. Gang Mangga prostitution complex then rivaled by brothels set up by Chinese called soehian. Such prostitution complexes then spread throughout Betawi, "concluded Alwi Shahab.
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