How does Jawi plan to rehabilitate sex workers, asks NGO

 

Yayasan Chow Kit founder Hartini Zainudin said children and families living in Chow Kit need education and understanding, not ‘stereotyping’.

PETALING JAYA: An activist has asked religious affairs minister Idris Ahmad to explain clearly what he meant by “rehabilitating” prostitutes in the Chow Kit area and resolving issues linked to them as the community needs real help and not mere “stereotyping”.

“How does Jawi (federal territories Islamic religious department) intend to rehabilitate sex workers? Will it help provide them jobs?” asked Yayasan Chow Kit founder Hartini Zainudin.

She further questioned how Jawi intended to assist undocumented children there to obtain valid papers.

She said Jawi should first work with the home ministry to provide documentation to homeless children before attempting to resolve any other problem.

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Hartini also suggested that the department provide funding for these children to receive education and healthcare protection.

“They (Jawi) sound like they’re going to war with the children and families living in Chow Kit,” she said. “We don’t need more fire and brimstone, we need education and understanding.”

In a HarakahDaily report earlier today, Idris said Jawi was working with NGOs to resolve issues linked to prostitution in areas under its jurisdiction, including Chow Kit.

He said these NGOs had been tasked with rehabilitating prostitutes as well as assisting children born out of wedlock to obtain valid birth certificates and other documentation.

Hartini said Idris should “get with the times” as prostitution was no longer apparent in the area.

“The Chow Kit of 2022 is not the same as the Chow Kit of 2000. It (prostitution) has petered out and is much less obvious,” she told FMT.

Labelling Idris’ remarks as “prejudiced” and “stereotypical”, Hartini questioned if Jawi was genuinely interested in working with the community or simply wished to assume the worst. - FMT