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Rio Prostitutes, Like Athletes, Shape Up for Pan American Games
By Adriana Brasileiro
July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Rosa Silva went into training before the Pan American Games, running 40 minutes each day and doing 200 sit-ups. She also got a full-body waxing and had her hair straightened and highlighted.
Silva, 26, isn't one of the athletes competing for gold medals. She's a prostitute.
With 700,000 visitors flooding into Rio de Janeiro, the Pan American Games are a profit opportunity for prostitutes in Brazil, where their occupation is legal. They can expect a surge in business and double their usual rates, said Flavio Lenz, a spokesman for Da Vida, a group representing Rio's sex workers.
``An event that attracts more people to the city is great for everybody in the services sector, and sex workers will definitely benefit from a larger clientele,'' said Gabriela Leite, president of Brazil's Prostitutes Network, which represents 20,000 professionals.
More than 5,500 athletes from 42 countries are competing in the games, which are staged every four years in the Americas. The Rio Tourism Board forecasts that the event, which opened July 13 and runs through July 29, will generate almost $690 million in revenue.
Many visitors are staying in the Copacabana district, Rio's main tourist spot because of its beachside location and more than 80 hotels, said Paulo Faustino, a spokesman for the tourism board.
Copacabana also is Rio's main venue for high-end street prostitutes. Da Vida estimated that the city has about 5,000 prostitutes, and most of them work in Copacabana during special events. That number may rise by 25 percent as prostitutes from other parts of Brazil head to Rio, Lenz said.
Out-of-Town Girls
``A lot of girls from other neighborhoods or from out of town come to work here when Copa is full,'' said Joao Valadares, a 23-year-old transvestite who goes by ``Camila,'' nodding toward two rivals nearby. ``Those two over there with the zebra- pattern dresses aren't from around here.''
The increased competition prompted prostitutes such as Sabrina Mendes to get into top form. Mendes, 24, cut down on beer and carbohydrates and lost 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in three weeks.
Sex workers kept beauty salons in Copacabana busy in recent days. At Zeni Cabeleireiros, just off Copacabana Beach, most time slots for waxing services were filled last week.
``I had to look my best because I knew work would pick up,'' said Mendes, wearing a tight silver dress and black leggings. ``I was inspired by the gymnasts and the water ballet girls.''
A Romanticized Idea
Carnival and the sensuality associated with Rio de Janeiro create a romanticized idea that the city is a permissive and liberated place, said Richard Parker, a professor in the Sociomedical Sciences department at Columbia University in New York and author of ``Bodies, Pleasures and Passions: Sexual Cultures in Contemporary Brazil.''
``Rio is a very tolerant place,'' he said. ``It's a city that welcomes all kinds of people, and that may be the reason why it has this reputation for being a sexual tourism spot.
``Conditions have improved for workers in Brazil, but it's still a very hard profession, because of violence and prejudice,'' Parker said.
Rio added 8,000 army, federal and out-of-state officers to beef up its force of 10,000 during the games, Jose Mariano Beltrame, Rio state security secretary, said on his department's Web site.
Extra Law Enforcement
Copacabana Beach is stationing a police car with two armed officers on every corner, and it more than doubled officers in the neighborhood to 614, according to the secretary's Web site.
Prostitutes were recognized as ``sex professionals'' on Brazil's Official Occupations Classification list in 2002. It's legal for sex workers to offer their services and for clients to seek them out. Brazilian law does prohibit anyone from taking a cut of prostitutes' income.
``We like to see more cops around,'' Silva said. ``It's always good to have them here on the beach in case we have trouble with clients.''
Workers at Help, a club on Copacabana Beach, raise rates to 300 reais ($160) an hour from 200 reais when the city is packed with visitors, Valadares said. European and American clients are charged 400 reais, she said.
``I hope this sidewalk will be on fire every day,'' Valadares said. ``My bank account is loving these games.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Adriana Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro at [email protected] ;
Last Updated: July 16, 2007 00:03 EDT
Here's the link:
Rio Prostitutes - Bloomberg Latin America
Rio Prostitutes, Like Athletes, Shape Up for Pan American Games
By Adriana Brasileiro
July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Rosa Silva went into training before the Pan American Games, running 40 minutes each day and doing 200 sit-ups. She also got a full-body waxing and had her hair straightened and highlighted.
Silva, 26, isn't one of the athletes competing for gold medals. She's a prostitute.
With 700,000 visitors flooding into Rio de Janeiro, the Pan American Games are a profit opportunity for prostitutes in Brazil, where their occupation is legal. They can expect a surge in business and double their usual rates, said Flavio Lenz, a spokesman for Da Vida, a group representing Rio's sex workers.
``An event that attracts more people to the city is great for everybody in the services sector, and sex workers will definitely benefit from a larger clientele,'' said Gabriela Leite, president of Brazil's Prostitutes Network, which represents 20,000 professionals.
More than 5,500 athletes from 42 countries are competing in the games, which are staged every four years in the Americas. The Rio Tourism Board forecasts that the event, which opened July 13 and runs through July 29, will generate almost $690 million in revenue.
Many visitors are staying in the Copacabana district, Rio's main tourist spot because of its beachside location and more than 80 hotels, said Paulo Faustino, a spokesman for the tourism board.
Copacabana also is Rio's main venue for high-end street prostitutes. Da Vida estimated that the city has about 5,000 prostitutes, and most of them work in Copacabana during special events. That number may rise by 25 percent as prostitutes from other parts of Brazil head to Rio, Lenz said.
Out-of-Town Girls
``A lot of girls from other neighborhoods or from out of town come to work here when Copa is full,'' said Joao Valadares, a 23-year-old transvestite who goes by ``Camila,'' nodding toward two rivals nearby. ``Those two over there with the zebra- pattern dresses aren't from around here.''
The increased competition prompted prostitutes such as Sabrina Mendes to get into top form. Mendes, 24, cut down on beer and carbohydrates and lost 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in three weeks.
Sex workers kept beauty salons in Copacabana busy in recent days. At Zeni Cabeleireiros, just off Copacabana Beach, most time slots for waxing services were filled last week.
``I had to look my best because I knew work would pick up,'' said Mendes, wearing a tight silver dress and black leggings. ``I was inspired by the gymnasts and the water ballet girls.''
A Romanticized Idea
Carnival and the sensuality associated with Rio de Janeiro create a romanticized idea that the city is a permissive and liberated place, said Richard Parker, a professor in the Sociomedical Sciences department at Columbia University in New York and author of ``Bodies, Pleasures and Passions: Sexual Cultures in Contemporary Brazil.''
``Rio is a very tolerant place,'' he said. ``It's a city that welcomes all kinds of people, and that may be the reason why it has this reputation for being a sexual tourism spot.
``Conditions have improved for workers in Brazil, but it's still a very hard profession, because of violence and prejudice,'' Parker said.
Rio added 8,000 army, federal and out-of-state officers to beef up its force of 10,000 during the games, Jose Mariano Beltrame, Rio state security secretary, said on his department's Web site.
Extra Law Enforcement
Copacabana Beach is stationing a police car with two armed officers on every corner, and it more than doubled officers in the neighborhood to 614, according to the secretary's Web site.
Prostitutes were recognized as ``sex professionals'' on Brazil's Official Occupations Classification list in 2002. It's legal for sex workers to offer their services and for clients to seek them out. Brazilian law does prohibit anyone from taking a cut of prostitutes' income.
``We like to see more cops around,'' Silva said. ``It's always good to have them here on the beach in case we have trouble with clients.''
Workers at Help, a club on Copacabana Beach, raise rates to 300 reais ($160) an hour from 200 reais when the city is packed with visitors, Valadares said. European and American clients are charged 400 reais, she said.
``I hope this sidewalk will be on fire every day,'' Valadares said. ``My bank account is loving these games.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Adriana Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro at [email protected] ;
Last Updated: July 16, 2007 00:03 EDT
Here's the link:
Rio Prostitutes - Bloomberg Latin America
