Outreach Education

Direct Female Sex Workers
The Kerti Praja Foundation has been working with ‘direct sex worker’ communities for over 25 years and maintains an established and effective working relationship. In our understanding, the term ‘direct sex worker’ refers to someone whose main source of income is derived from sex work. These women identify themselves as sex workers.

In Bali, the ‘direct sex worker’ industry is organized around clusters of simple bars, each location providing an entertainment/drinking area and rooms rented by the hour. Although sex work is illegal in Indonesia, such sites are still to be found around Bali, in concentrated areas in Denpasar, Badung and other locations.

Indirect Female Sex Workers
Indirect sex workers differ from direct sex workers in the sense that sex work is a supplementary activity. Indirect sex workers work mainly in the entertainment/hospitality industry- in cafes, karaoke bars, clubs and massage parlors, carrying out sex work sporadically and under different conditions to direct sex work.

As these women are not self-identified, they are reluctant to concede that they may support themselves through sex work, outreach work is sometimes difficult with our outreach workers adapting and innovating HIV/STIs prevention communication techniques to suit their information needs.

High Risk Men
Aside from providing information and support to female sex worker communities, the Kerti Praja Foundation carries out outreach work to high risk men (HRM) such as long-haul truck drivers, construction workers and university students, providing information to male clients of female sex workers. Outreach activities with HRM include information sessions, condom distribution, VCT and STIs treatment.

MSM and Transgender
In Bali, the majority of outreach work for men who have sex with men (MSM) and the MTF transgender community is carried out by a partner organization, Gaya Dewata. However, the Kerti Praja Foundation does reach these communities in Badung and Denpasar areas, providing support, condoms, information and encouraging outreach recipients to be screened and undergo voluntary counseling and testing (VCT). This work is mainly carried out at night, in bars, clubs and hangout places. MSM and MTF transgender are particularly vulnerable to HIV/STIs infection owing to risky sexual practices (including in sex work), stigma and discrimination informed by a heternormative gender ideology. The majority of gay men and MTF transgender migrate to Bali as the island is considered to be more open to the LGBTQI community. Our work with the LGBTQI community is supported also by the Bali Rainbow Community, especially regarding support for LGBT PLHIV.

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