The Offspring of the Brazilian Painted Veil
With the World Cup, Brazil tries to send a positive message as a paradisiacal and modern destination, but fails to tackle major structural problems which are now part of the Brazilian people delusion. Despite being the world’s seventh wealthiest economy, the country is still ravished by poverty, drug addiction and a weak social system. All of these converge into one of the biggest national problems: child prostitution. Alongside with Thailand, Brazil is a major sex tourism destination with an estimate of 400,000 child prostitutes, a number that has quadrupled in the past 10 years.
By Sofia Domingues
The children of poverty and vice
Walking down the streets in Fortaleza or Recife, the two northeastern cities with the most problems concerning child prostitution, can be shocking even for someone who is aware of the situation. Dozens of street children lay around the sidewalks, many look like they are barely in their teens. They use make-up and dress up to look older; they will offer sex without a second thought. The need for money or drugs speaks louder. Crack cocaine is an epidemic in Brazil and starts at a very young age. They are usually carrying a bottle of industrial glue, which they sniff constantly to stop the pangs of hunger.
Lorrisa, 13-years-old from Recife, says “sniffing the glue makes me feel dizzy and numb and it stops me feeling hungry so I don’t need to eat.” In Fortaleza, a girl that doesn’t look beyond 12 says they “use the money to buy things we need, clothes, school supplies." These girls say they don’t have pimps or protectors which means when clients refuse to pay they have to walk hours to get home. Recently in Recife a 14-year-old prostitute was murdered on the day of a police strike. The customer refused to pay, killed her and dumped her body. The police have failed to find the killer.
In 2003 the former President Lula da Silva said that child prostitution would be eradicated within a few short years; unfortunately the situation turned out quite differently. The approach of the World Cup made this issue even more susceptible, given the propensities during World Cups in Germany 2006 and in South Africa in 2010, where the risk of child exploitation grew 30 to 40 percent. Before the World Cup, a total of 600.000 foreign visitors are expected in Brazil and another three million Brazilian fans are expected to travel around the country.
The Semantics of ‘Disorder and Regress’
Prostitution in Brazil is legal but is not regulated, which means that associated activities, such as brothels, are prohibited. The legal age is set at 18 years old however this does not stop children as young as eight going into the streets and making business. When a legal system is subjected to multiple interpretations and loopholes, the victims are hardly protected and the predators can walk away free as the police turn a blind eye. Until 2009 the age of consent was 14, with a ‘presumption of violence’ for cases involving children under 14 which stressed the occurrence of violence during the act, leading to two interpretations: a relative presumption (previous sex life, consent from the victim) which could lead to acquittal of the defendant; and an absolute presumption (any case should lead to condemnation).
The implementation of the relative presumption by some judges caused a lot of controversy when the High Court of Justice absolved an accused of having sex with a 13-year-old because she was a prostitute. It seems that in some way this decision is promoting ‘institutionalized child prostitution’ which allows breaches in the law because of sex precedents. According to the new law in force since 2009, the age of consent remains the same but the crime is now addressed as ‘rape of the vulnerable’, which includes any sexual act without presumption of violence as before. Within this new legislation it doesn’t matter if the victim is aware of the act and consents to it; as long as he/she is younger than 14, it is a crime.
Despite this distinction, the enforcement of the law has serious issues from both the police force and the prosecutors. For people who work directly with the victims it’s very hard to give a vote of confidence to the authorities. Speaking to , Sister Maria recalls last year’s Confederations Cup when underage prostitutes and street children were swept up by the police and taken to a shelter outside of town. After the tournament, they were brought back. "They aren't worried about these children growing up in a healthy environment, with jobs and housing, health and education," she says. "They're worried about hiding them."
Indeed, pimps and costumers often get away free and even when a prosecutor gets a denunciation, the victims often change their testimony and their cases are dismissed. For the prosecutor, Francisco Carlos Pereira de Andrade based in Fortaleza, it’s getting harder to capture the perpetrators because they are organizing outside the streets with hotel managers and taxi drivers, who recruit the young girls that are later delivered directly to foreign clients’ hotel rooms.
Non-profit organization with a profit-driven agenda
As the euphoria of the World Cup approaches, so does the disillusionment. Brazilians are angry with the government and question their budget decisions: twelve stadiums were built although FIFA only requested eight. Brazil spent 270 million dollars on a giant stadium in the capital of the Amazon, Manaus, which will probably be left to decay once the Cup is over. FIFA is expected to generate profits in the order of hundreds of millions of euros during the Cup but leaves the costs to the Brazilian taxpayers in what looks likely to be the most lucrative World Cup ever in terms of sponsorship and broadcasting rights.
For the social worker Bernardo Rosemeyer the tournament bears a social responsibility, which must be fulfilled. Under FIFA slogans such as it is “our mission” to create a better future, or a “strategy of responsibility” concerning social problems and projects, this rich and powerful organization seems to do very little in this direction. In the light of what has previously been said, it seems preposterous that FIFA is classified as anon-profit organizationin Switzerland, enjoying a tax-free status. “During this World Cup we have the opportunity to question what kind of government we have right now: whether one that prioritizes itself or the people it represents,” says associate professor in Brazilian Studies from Aarhus University, Vinicius de Carvalho. “I think the answer to this question is already being given.”
Going full circle
It is well known that poverty is widespread in Brazil and this is one of the major factors placing little children in the streets – but this is not the only issue. There is a deeply embedded culture of social exclusion and a tradition of profound disrespect for women, which can lead to the family itself putting their own children in the streets. During their childhood they are often beaten, abused and forced to help the family put food on the table and provide for the younger siblings. In other cases, they might have been victims of incest and turn to prostitution out of shame and guilt related to their abuse.
The consequences of the negative attitudes that society has toward these girls are reflected in their low self-esteem, which, in many cases, leads to self-inflicted violence. While it is true that many girls sell themselves for very low prices, it is also true that in many cases it pays to prostitute rather than have a regular job. The minimum wage in Brazil is 723 Reais, something that converts into 233 euros. Once so many of them have children of their own or have to provide for their families, they turn to prostitution as a way to earn more money in a faster way. Nonetheless, recently reported on a young girl that asked for 10 or even five Reais, admitting to have done it for only three Reais (0,97 euros).
This desperation is very much related with the development of drug addiction, which becomes a vicious circle for so many young children. In many cases the children start selling their bodies to have some sort of income, but are soon enticed to consume drugs to help numb the pain and deal with the harshness of their lives. Rapidly, it becomes physically and emotionally unbearable for them to live without it and they resume prostituting to get money for the next high. It is this objectifying attitude towards young girls that has allowed this scourge to continue.
Long viewed for its sexually liberal reputation, Brazil has been a popular sex tourism destination. Stereotypes related to football and Carnival have caused foreigners to reduce the country to an image of easy sex with young girls without legal repercussions. A culture of mixed with extreme poverty and use of drugs has created the perfect environment for child sexual exploitation.
“Connotation of sexual pleasure with Brazil doesn’t exist only outside, but also within Brazilians, that flaunt a sexualization of their relationships” says Vinicius de Carvalho. He adds that their history of slavery has left profound marks in the interpersonal relationships, often making people not to see another human being as an equal, but as an object. “Combine all these with an educational disregard to gender issues and a legal leniency and you have a very favorable environment for those who sexually exploit children,” he says.
Aiming for fair game
Despite this negative overview some efforts are being made that shed a bit of light into this dark scenery. In recent months a movement against sex tourism in Fortaleza has started to take shape. Many hotels put up signs warning that sex with minors is prohibited; in the Mercure Hotel all non-checked-in guests must show their passports before they are granted entrance. In the lobby the chairs and sofas have been changed so that each guest has to pass by the reception to access the elevator.
At the airport flyers are being distributed to tourists and there are signs encouraging people to call a hotline if observing any suspicious activity.
Until now, it’s hard to say how effective these will be, however a glimpse into what has been going on in the past 10 years should give us enough insight. To tackle this issue, Brazilians and foreigners alike must view these children as human beings pushed into their situation in order to cope with human needs. The government could only successfully conquer this issue by addressing the interlinking of political, economic and social causes that force these children into prostitution.
To Vinicius de Carvalho it is necessary to insist on a social education that doesn’t allow thinking of child sexual abuse as something normal, adding it is imperative to create legal stricter constraints that don’t give room for appeals by the offenders. Most of all, it is necessary to bear in mind that this is not a problem that came with the World Cup but rather a structural one. Meanwhile, these children will still be in the streets, and probably can’t afford to wait for a fair game.
Sofia comes from Portugal and has a thirst for different cultures and new places. She wants to meet people and tell their fascinating stories. Struggling to find a label, she describes herself as a curious person with a taste for humanitarian causes.
