OK, so you asked
what have I done
to stop or prevent
child prostitution.
I have started a company
in Batam,
poured in my entire
life savings
to finance the company
for over a year already.
For the better part
of the first year,
the company was bleeding
and I supported
the entire company
with my hard earned money.
I kept my staff employed
kept them off the streets.
I rented a huge bungalow
which is my corporate headquarters
my warehouse
and my staff quarters.
My company provides
3 meals a day
for my employees
and lodging too
for some.
I have a company van
that sends them out
to do sales.
When that is not possible
I pay,
for their transport.
My staff,
who are mostly
uneducated,
are paid better
than fresh graduates
in Jakarta.
I pay
for them to come
to Singapore
for training,
mostly their first time
out of the country.
Their kids come to the house
and be babysat
when their parents
work for me,
including single mothers
and former prostitutes.
My general manager
provides english lessons
to the staff
and their children
in the evenings.
Sure, my primary motivation
is profits,
but a company
can afford to have
a social conscience
only when it is making money.
When it was not,
I was the one
carrying 27 employees.
I don't like the idea
of giving handouts.
Look at NKF
in Swingabore,
let alone
Indonesia.
So what have I done
to stop prostitution?
Quite a lot,
although I admit,
I still keep feeling,
I can do more.
