Heartfelt Cries About the Lives of Night Women
Author: Wari
JayaNews.com Editorial Team
In a quiet corner of the city filled with dim lights, live night women who often carry a heavy stigma.
However, behind this label, there are complex and contradictory life stories.
Many of them choose this path as a result of various factors, including economic pressure, gender inequality, marital failure, and a lack of viable employment alternatives.
The life story of one night woman, let’s call her Bunga, a widow with three children, forced to become a night woman due to economic hardship after her husband died. This job provides her with enough income to feed her children.
And Mawar, a single parent with one child, also faces stigma and discrimination from the surrounding community. They are often accused of being a source of disease and corrupting morals.
The challenges they face are quite severe and painful.
Stigma and discrimination from the surrounding community.
Economic hardship and a lack of employment alternatives.
And the impact on physical and mental health is significant.
The hopes and dreams of many women working at night are for broader social change that will reduce stigma and provide better opportunities for them.
Some aspire to leave this profession and pursue better opportunities, while others hope their children won’t have to know what they do to earn a living, for the sake of a better life for their children.
To change their fate.
Education and skills training can help them find better employment alternatives.
Joint efforts from the community, government, and relevant institutions are needed to create an environment that supports their development and well-being.
Eliminating the stigma and understanding their lives as women working at night with a broader and more empathetic perspective can help create a more just and compassionate world for them.
Hopefully, the concern of the community and government can provide the best path for their decent and good lives.*
Indramayu, September 27, 2025
—-
