Jakarta's Kalijodo is the latest of nearly 70 red-light districts to be shut down in Indonesia, with the government still wanting to close the remainder – estimated at about 100 – by 2019. Kalijodo red-light district has long been home to thousands of sex workers, despite prostitution being illegal in the country.
Bulldozers were seen destroying dozens of homes and sex-orientated businesses in the Jakarta neighbourhood, which the Indonesian government wants to turn into a park. The decision to demolish the area was finalised by Jakarta's governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, after a drink-driver killed four people in Kalijodo earlier this year. Purnama ordered the neighbourhood to be closed, starting with the Intan Cafe, which was, according to reports, owned by prominent local figure Abdul Azis, aka Daeng Azis, who allegedly controlled most of the operations in Kalijodo.
"If the main reason of the government is to clear prostitution, then I think this is the right thing to do. Prostitution violates religious values and it also disrupts other people around it," said Slamet Basuki, a resident of Jakarta.
Men enter a shop to gain access to a dwelling behind to remove scrap building materials in the Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaDarren Whiteside/ Reuters
A disco ball is seen near civil service police unit members as buildings are demolished at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ Reuters
Civil service police watch the demolition of Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaGarry Lotulung/ Reuters
A man removes corrugated iron walls for scrap from a former entertainment spot before the area is to be demolished in Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaDarren Whiteside/ Reuters 
A civil service police officer sits in the ruins of Kalijodo red-light district during its demolition by authorities in J akarta, IndonesiaGarry Lotulung/ Reuters
A member of the civil service police unit sits near the ruins at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ Reuters
A man removes corrugated iron from a dwelling before it is demolished in the Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaDarren Whiteside/ Reuters
A member of the civil service police unit walks near the ruins at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ Reuters
A police officer walks past a pile of salvaged building materials and some belongings from a dwelling in the Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaDarren Whiteside/ Reuters
A reporter walks near the ruins of demolished buildings at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ Reuters Former sex workers who relied on Kalijodo to earn a living have been asked to join a rehabilitation and vocational centre, where they learn trades that are meant to help them get a job.
The city administration had given some 3,000 local residents seven days to pack up their things before the buildings are torn down, although there are six families who have insisted on staying in the area. Some have been relocated to new apartments, but remain perplexed as to how they will move forward.
Women practice the hairdressing skills at a government funded training centre that provides vocational training to former sex workers in Jakarta, IndonesiaDarren Whiteside/ Reuters
Student work on sewing machine at a government funded training centre that provides vocational training to former sex workers in Jakarta, IndonesiaGarry Lotulung/ Reuters
People demolish a cafe building at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaWahyu Putro/ Reuters
An excavator demolishes buildings at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ Reuters
An excavator demolishes buildings at Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaBeawiharta/ Reuters
People watch a man dismantle his dwelling in the Kalijodo red-light district in Jakarta, IndonesiaDarren Whiteside/ Reuters Source: Indonesia: Jakarta's red-light district is demolished while sex workers forced to train for new jobs
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