Asian Social Science; Vol. 13, No. 6; 2017 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 31 Sex-workers in a Country of Largest Muslim Population Myrtati D. Artaria 1 & Sri E. Kinasih 1 1 Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia Correspondence: Myrtati D. Artaria, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia. E-mail: myrtati.artaria@fisip.unair.ac.id Received: January 6, 2017 Accepted: February 7, 2017 Online Published: May 31, 2017 doi:10.5539/ass.v13n6p31 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v13n6p31 Abstract Indonesia is the largest Islam country in the world that has the biggest number of Muslims among other countries in the world. Hence this is the reason of the local governments, the governor of East Java Province and the mayor of Surabaya, to close the red-light areas. The purpose of this research is to know how the women became sex-workers in the biggest number of Muslims in the world. We observed and interviewed 20 informants of sex workers and former sex-workers; the Head of Local Health Center, NGO in those areas, and midwives. The data that had been collected were classified into themes. While being analyzed, the report was written and being classified. The results show that although the nation vows that every individual in this country has a religion, and mostly are Muslims, but prostitution is difficult to inhibit. We found many reasons that have made the women fell into the world of prostitution in this area of East Java. After the closing of the red-areas we found that they have secretly continue doing their job because they do not have other skills that can make as much as money that they earned as sex-workers. We conclude that the purpose to preserve a good religious environment by closing the red-areas cannot be realized. The closing of the red-areas has brought new problems because the spread of HIV/AID and sexually transmitted disease are more difficult to control. Keywords: red-area, prostitution, sex-worker 1. Introduction Indonesia is the largest Islam country in the world that has the biggest number of Muslims among other countries in the world. Hence this is the reason of the local governments, the governor of East Java Province and the mayor of Surabaya, to close the red-light areas. One reason for this closure is because it is not in accordance with the conditions of a religious community, for the localization of red-areas means allowing religious offenses occurred, and validated them in a structured way. The problem is, throughout the world, prostitution is difficult to eradicate. Prostitution may have existed since the first presence of human being. It is precisely that the function of the existence of localization was to oversee sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS to be suppressed or prevented, by requiring regular health inspections, requirement of condoms to prevent the contamination of HIV/AIDS, and treatment of infectious diseases as soon as they were detected. With the closing of red-areas localization, the preventive measures above cannot be done anymore, because prostitution done covertly without the knowledge of the government. Protection from the pimp, although at the same time controlling the life of the sex-workers; in many cases also protected them from the careless conduct of the users. Apart from the above mentioned, the question is whether the closing down of the red-areas that is being said to be the contrary to the religious life of the surrounding community, is reasonable. Most of the people living nearby are Muslims. After the closing of the areas, will prostitution persist or continue? Then, as a country that has the biggest number of Muslims in the world, which current direction is assumed to become increasingly more religious, with a growing number of women wearing the hijabs (Smith-Hefner, 2007), and men against leaders of other faiths (Hasan, 2002); how these women finally became sex-workers from the first part? What are the reasons they chose to become sex-workers? The state of Indonesia requires each of its citizens to have a religion, but then why it cannot prevent them from activities that violate their religion doctrines, even further being commercial sex-workers?