In Brazil, while acting as a pimp or owning a brothel is against the law, selling sex for money is perfectly legal. Except when the prostitutes are children, as many girls and cross-dressing boys are.
Johns flying in from other countries target children not just because these men are pedophiles — but because minors are less expensive. “They are underage, so much cheaper than the older ones,” one taxi driver who works with prostitutes tells the BBC’s Chris Rogers, who traveled to Brazil to look at the illegal sex trade. And it’s not just little girls being preyed on, but boys dressed as girls. And their families are keenly aware of what’s going on.
Just a couple of streets away the pavement is lined with transvestites touting for clients. Among them 14-year-old Ronison and 12-year-old Ivan. The cousins look convincing in their stilettos, mini skirts and blouses, and heavy make up. “We need to earn money to buy rice and staple foods for our families,” Ronison explains as he flicks back his long bobbed hair. “Our parents don’t worry about us too much. We tell them when we are leaving and when we’re coming back. And then we give the money to them to buy food. They know how we get the money, we just don’t discuss it”
Rogers’ report includes the necessary details about law enforcement supposedly cracking downs on sex tourism, and hooker houses being raided. But by all accounts this is an industry that goes unchecked and perhaps isn’t even worth policing. The reasons these children walk the streets isn’t because they or their families are thrilled about selling their bodies for sex. It’s because they need money to survive, and the economy provides no other realistic way to get it.
Qjersey
The sad fact is that if there weren’t depraved people interested in having sex with minors, prostitution wouldn’t be an option for these kids.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@Qjersey:
+1
Jeffree
Sheesh, this truly makes me want to cry.scream.throw-up.yell. Etc.
There are some things that are just plain wrong. This is one of them.
REVEMUPMAN
This is the shit feminist are suppose to protect. But NOOOO they go after legal prostitution instead.
How backwards is that thinking. If you abolish the sex industry altogether where do you think the business will go.
Yep, straight to the black market where its always been. And more women, men, and children will be left vulnerable with no protection what so ever.
Tallskin
Surely the problem here is poverty that forces these young people to sell their bodies?
And poverty caused by lack of state welfare in Brazil, with huge disparities between the rich and poor. Yes, “communism” does work!
And the lack of contraception, and too many babies being born into families that are too large
And the fucking catholic church preventing birth control being taught to the poor.
You people commenting above have no fucking idea!
Shaun Azzopardi
@Qjersey: And instead those children wouldn’t have any other options and live in more poverty, if they would live at all.
The problem isn’t sexually depraved people, it’s poverty.
Dawson
I don’t know…
If the option was between starving to death and forcing (and lets not kid ourselves these families force their children to do this) my child to go sell his/her body for money to buy food, I’d GLADLY starve to death. These families shouldn’t have these children. I love how people sit back and say, there is no other way to make ends meet, but adults go for more money as a prostitutes and I don’t see mommy and daddy out their selling their ass.
rodrigo
@Dawson:
The only reason why parents in “third world countries” have as many children as they do is because the most members a family has, the more that can work and the more they can earn. Sadly it is a fact of life and i’m sure that most of these parents work (not necessarily in the sex industry , mainly because of age and as the article mentioned, children fetch less in the market i.e. more affordable)
As cold hearted as it may sound, as long as there’s demand , there will be supply.
Fitz
On the plus side, at least Queerty has a ready made population for it’s MG section.
Panglee
In nearly every 3rd world country you encounter the same mess, even here in the Philippines. Corruption within the government, lack of long term employment opportunities,poor education system, and the faithful whore of all humans is the Roman Catholic Church. Reduce the influence of the church and people will begin to prosper, to feed and cloth their children, to educate their children. In other words, to have the opportunity to pull themselves out of poverty.