Prostitution and Gender Differences: The Distinct Effects on Women and Men in Brazil

Rochelle Hernandez Professor Melanie Hawthorne INTS 410-900 9 December 2015 Prostitution and Gender Differences: The Distinct Effects on Women and Men in Brazil INTRODUCTION Prostitution The common definition of prostitution is the act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse in exchange for money or goods/services and trafficking are sexual violence issues which often result in the economic profit for traffickers and other third parties involved (i.e. pimps) and have long been standing issues affecting an increasingly interconnected world, especially as we witness the rise of capitalist globalization and its involvement in the “commodification of human beings” (Poulin 38). In Andrea Dworkin’s 1992 speech entitled “Prostitution and Male Supremacy”, she states that prostitution in and of itself is primarily the abuse of a woman’s body but victims, whether for labor, sex, etc., can come from all backgrounds, and includes both men, women, and children. The U.N. Protocol provides the following definition of trafficking, which should be read in its entirety: Trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour, or services, slavery, servitude, or the removal of organs. This exploitation is typically in the form of sex or labor, but as survivor Ima Matul recently pointed out, “It doesn’t matter which type. The sex side makes the news but all forms are inhumane. Trafficking is trafficking.” The World Health Organization (WHO) defines sexual violence as: Any sexual act or attempted unwanted sexual act, or acts to traffic the sexuality of a person, using coercion, threats or physical force, practiced by any person, regardless of his/her relationship with the victim in any scenario, including but not limited to, home or work. Within the last decade alone, it appears that trafficking of women, children, and men for sexual exploitation have become a major concern for governments, NGOs, and the media alike. This industry has been seen to generate profits close to the “billions of dollars” (Poulin 38) and has essentially created this perverted exchange of “millions of women and children [and men]” (Poulin 38) into sexual commodities. Trafficking persons occurs for a variety of reasons, but the most dominant reason (and the main focus for this paper) is for prostitution purposes and other forms of sexual exploitation. Frequently, in international law and publications, prostitution is hardly separated from sexual exploitation and trafficking in human beings, but there is also new publications which points out the intersectional aspect between prostitution and ideas such as culture and power. Through a thorough examination of the cultural and economic features in sex trafficking and its implications for male and female victims, I hope to paint a clear picture of the roles of consequences felt by members of each gender in the sex trade. Spanning over three decades, it appears that most countries in the Southern Hemisphere have experienced unbelievable growth of prostitution, and most notably in Brazil, there has been a speculated high number of children associated with prostitution of which no documented prosecutions of tourists seeking sex with children have been made. Any attempt to quantify exactly how many minors are involved is called into question because of how many acts are hidden from the public, but most of the time, numerical data is used in formal speech making in order to scientifically sanction the seriousness of the issue at hand - which is the growth of prostitution. Modern-day Brazil, although “now boasts the largest economy in Latin America and seventh largest in the world” “Brazil GDP Growth Rate | 1996-2015 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast.” Brazil GDP Growth Rate | 1996-2015 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast. 2015. See <http://www.tradingeconomics.com/brazil/gdp-growth>, has one of the most unequal distribution of income of any nation - people living in metropolitan areas enjoy greater access to education and a healthier infrastructure, many of those still residing in rural areas do not have the same opportunities. Many lower income people journey to other areas in search of better job opportunities and leave behind the instability found in rural areas. This internal migration contributes to the rise of favelas, Brazil’s notoriously dangerous and impoverished urban slum communities. Moreover, inequality has been slowly growing. In the mid-1990s, the poorest 20 percent of the population received only 3 percent of national income, while the richest 10 percent received 47 percent. There are roughly 33 million Brazilians currently residing in poverty, including 20 million workers and 10 million pensioners who receive the minimum wage of around $115 a month. The primary purpose of this paper is to understand how prostitution/sex trafficking affects women differently from men as result of sex differences, to clarify the depth of this effect, and to get an idea of just how damaging prostitution and sex trafficking can be. I’ve decided to focus on Brazil because of the large influx of prostitution that can be found in the country, particularly child prostitution in recent years. Despite being a topic that’s been talked about for decades, there are those who still participate in and support this industry. They perpetuate the long standing problem of prostitution and all but approve of the violence the victims have to live through in order to service them. BRAZIL’S SEX INDUSTRY According to Christine Harcourt, PhD, Research Fellow for the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the University of New South Wales, and Basil Donovan, MD, Professor of Sexual Health at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the University of New South Wales, in their June 2005 article, “The Many Faces of Sex Work,” “prostitution varies...in its forms and social contexts” (205); both identified least 25 different types of sex work and then grouped them under heading of ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ prostitution. In Brazil, the direct sex work that is mainly utilized is street Clients solicited on the street, park or other public places. Serviced in side streets, vehicles, or short stay premises or other public place sex work (which is probably the most widespread type of prostitution globally). Indoor sex work is “typified by brothel prostitution. Brothels vary enormously in their size and decor from mere hovels through tenement bedrooms to elaborate ‘pleasure palaces’” (Harcourt 202). Many women and young girls are forced into the industry, largely through sex trafficking, some “believing they would work in restaurants” (Anti-Slavery International 41) and can’t escape the hold the traffickers have on them. Brazil’s booming economy has attracted massive flows of investment for the country. It has long been a teaming site for human trafficking. As the wealthiest and most developed economy in Latin America, Brazil serves as both the origin and the destination of a daunting amount of human trafficking. In 2014 Brazil’s GDP was $2.346 trillion USD: the highest in Latin America. However, its GDP per capita was only $11,530 USD, a number noticeably lower than Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela http://data.worldbank.org/country/brazil. But the socioeconomic inequality in Brazil has created a large underclass of impoverished women and children who have become prime targets of human trafficking with some as young as the age of 9 being sold to numerous clients. The sex trade industry The sex industry is not limited to prostitution but includes a wide range of activities such as pornography, Internet sex, etc. but for the purposes of this paper, I will focus on just prostitution in Brazil is thought to be organized around sex trafficking and sex tourism. In sex trafficking, people (mainly women and children) are forced to travel away from their homes and prostituted either within or beyond their national borders in order to accommodate demand for their services. The main focus here is on women and children, for in Brazil, male prostitution isn’t as large, with the demand for women and children to be much higher. In sex tourism, men (usually foreign, though there are men who travel domestically to participate in sex tourism; so commercial sexual exploitation of children is a both a domestic and international problem) travel to source countries in order to inquire and indulge in sexual services. Prostitution is a known problem plaguing Brazil though it is not a crime as it became a legalized profession in the early 2000s The Brazilian Classification of Occupations (BCO) stated that prostitution was a legitimate occupation, earning them the title of “profissionais do sexo” or sex professionals; but, it is child prostitution (which is illegal) which has become the biggest sexual violence issue the country is having to deal with, especially in regards to child sex tourism The United Nations has defined child sex tourism as "tourism organized with the primary purpose of facilitating the effecting of a commercial sexual relationship with a child" happening “in resort and coastal areas in northeastern Brazil” (Terrero 16), a region with many international destinations and accounts for nearly a third of all child prostitution offenses. Three capitals of Northeastern The country is often divided into five regions: Norte (North), Nordeste (Northeast), Centro-Oeste (Central-West), Sudeste (Southeast), and Su l (South) states - Fortaleza, Recife and Salvador - have set up special courts to deal with child prostitution. Supply & Demand: Reasons prostitution and trafficking occur There are a plethora of reasons for why prostitution in Brazil continues to exist. The global sexual exploitation of women and children is a supply and demand market and “trafficking can manifest itself both within and between countries, and therefore should not only be thought of as a transnational crime but one that can also take place within a country’s borders” (Goodey 421). There can be found a significant “male demand for the sex of prostitution” (Miles 33) which in turn promotes this “need” for trafficking and commodification of women/children to fulfill it. As a result of gender inequality in the patriarchal culture found in Brazil, there exists the idea that women and girls as objects who can be bought and sold and consumed. This gender inequality fuels a demand for purchased sex. Accordingly, the majority of those trafficked for sexual exploitation are women and girls. Men create the demand and women are the supply This dynamic is the case for heterosexual prostitution. Exceptions are gay prostitution, men’s sexual abuse of boys, the occasional sexual abuse of children by women and the almost non-existent prostitution of men by women.. There is a global culture of sexual exploitation in which women’s bodies are used to market consumer products. Sex industries use up women, physically and emotionally, necessitating fresh supplies of women, which keeps the trafficking of women so profitable. In this respect, let me draw attention to the fact that this is all taking place in a society with unbalanced power relations between men and women, notably regarding financial and economic resources. These power relations continue to affect men and women’s sexuality and perpetuate images of men buying sex from women. Prostitution is therefore not only perceived as reinforcing gender stereotypes but also as an expression of the idea of men’s unlimited access to women’s bodies and sexuality in accordance with their economic power (De Miguel 58). Although prostitution preys on women and girls with seemingly no other choice, poverty is not the cause of prostitution, though it does play a big factor in women and children being trafficked. Women become marginalized from education, paid employment, and resources through aggravated gendered development processes as a result of globalization. This renders them economically dependent on men (since jobs are regulated to them) and leave them vulnerable in the event of a disaster. The gendered cultural practices and discrimination as well as violence in families and communities can drive those desperate enough to prostitution. Comparing evaluations of a son’s and daughter’s role/status in Brazilian patrilineal family systems, generates a culture of son preference. In addition, daughters are perceived as a liability to the natal family encumbered with marrying them off early and appropriately, ensuring their pre-marital sexual purity, providing hefty marriage expenses and other material resources on auspicious occasions to the daughter’s marital kin. If an opportunity presents itself, in many instances it can be found that poor households are willing to trade unwanted women and girls with little thought for their rights or future well-being. Many young women are vulnerable to trafficking not only because they lack economic opportunities, but also because they want to escape from the burden of long hours of unpaid domestic work and family care expected of them. In most instances, if youths are “engaging in high risk behaviors such as staying out late” (Finkelhor 4) or interacting with friends who are associated with prostitution, they are going to be “exposed...to more possibilities of victimization” (Finkelhor 4). On the demand side, there are two main forces which sustain it: male demand and profit. Globalization has fueled changes in the relative shares of economic sectors, in the international division of labor and labor market demand. It has created a gendered labor demand in both developing and developed countries and has led to feminized migration and trafficking in women. The countries where there is a “situation of extreme poverty, derived from social inequalities” (Ribeiro 465), high unemployment, war, and political and economic instability is often thought to contribute highly to prostitution and sex trafficking. EFFECTS OF PROSTITUTION Negative effects for both male and female victims Anyone who is forced into prostitution, be it woman or man, boy or girl, transgender, etc., typically undergoes the same negative effects which include but aren’t limited to: Post-traumatic stress syndrome Low self-esteem Trauma Eating disorders Physical and psychological illnesses Vaginal tearing/anal tearing Behavior problems Mistrust/hatred towards adults Depression Shortened lives Spread of sexually transmitted diseases Pain Abdominal, pelvic, migraines, musculoskeletal Many who have been forced into prostitution have to endure horrible physical abuse at the hands of various clients and whatever third party is controlling their funds (be it brothel owner or pimp, etc.) and this is coupled with the high possibility that they have been exposed to sexually transmitted infections like HIV or hepatitis since clients or victims have a tendency not to use any sort of protection (though with victims it is against their will - prove this). Some victims are forced to use illicit substances as “[most said] that they couldn’t continue to service multiple men per day without separating themselves from the acts of prostitution” (Miles 28), so they become addicted to drugs like industrial glue or cocaine which ends up rotting their teeth, damaging their brains, or leads to heart attacks “[in order] to achieve this separation” (Miles 28). Others lack adequate sleeping conditions and often sleep and provide sexual services in the same bed. The Difference between the Sexes Women/Girls According to Lois Lee, PhD, Founder and President of Children of the Night, prostitution affects girls and boys differently. Unlike guys, women/girls deal with the likelihood that they may become pregnant over the time they are held in prostitution. Many have had ectopic pregnancies that threatened their lives and led to abdominal surgeries. Others had desired and undesired abortions, some with complicated outcomes. There are similar concerns between trafficked women and men arising from their economic, nationality, ethnic and illegal immigration status. But differing gender relations and stereotypes make many abuses peculiar to and more commonly carried out against women and against children during transfer, in institutions into which they are trafficked and during return and resettlement. The intensity of these abuses, coupled with women’s limited access to support and redress mechanisms generally make long term recovery more difficult for them. In societies where women and girls are undervalued or not valued, women are at greater risk for being abused, trafficked, and coerced into sex slavery. At the root of prostitution is overt gender-based discrimination and gender inequality, which creates a situation where men can sexually exploit women experiencing poverty, abuse and racism with the complicity of law enforcement, society and culture. Women’s interests, needs, demands and specific problems are widely ignored in political arenas because they are marginalized. Even with a widening gender wage gap, poorly-paid jobs and discriminatory practices in the workplace, prostitution would not thrive without ingrained gender inequality and the demand for paid sex. Promoting the idea that some women must be available for sale to satisfy men's sexual needs is to create a group of women who are excluded from the protection afforded under national and international human rights law. Prostitution/trafficking promotes sexism and racism as men are encouraged to see women from poorer foreign countries as less, as "other" and as legitimate targets for exploitation. Men/Boys For boys, the same is true, except it’s a little bit of double-edged sword “because they have to struggle with sexual identity. Who are they? In some ways, boys are better off because of the fact that there is a community that is forgiving and understanding of the past sexual exploitation and the prostitution” YouTube clip with Dr. Lois Lee speaking about how prostitution affects boys differently . Also, even though there is a growing body of scholarly and journalistic research focus on sex trafficking, the existence of male victims is almost non-existent. In a patriarchal society like Brazil (though in contemporary times and women’s movements, it isn’t as male dominated as before), gendered stereotypes do still exist where men are presented as “powerful” and the “breadwinner,” while women are passive and regulated to domestic roles, feeding the “misconception in many societies that ‘men migrate, but women are trafficked’... [but many do not recognize] that men too are trafficked, and that women are not only trafficked, but also migrate” See Rina Sengupta and Shireen Huq, “Trafficking of Persons and Gender Inequality in South Asia”; unpublished paper, October 2001. THE CLIENTS Men Demographically speaking, men are the ones who are involved with the buying and selling of sex. Things like sex tourism is a male pursuit (Bauer, 21). Little is known about men buying sex. Available qualitative studies indicate that the age of the first experience of men buying sex could range as far as from 14 to 49 but over half of the men bought sex before they were 21 years old, and around three quarters had bought sex by the age of 25. Many men are of the opinion that a majority of women are lured, tricked, or trafficked into prostitution. Many of them are also aware of the possible vulnerable position of women to become a victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation because of poverty. According to M. Farley and Di Nicola, the knowledge that the women had been exploited, coerced, or trafficked failed to deter sex buyers from buying sex Different studies carried out by Farley and Di Nicola point that in general buyers are not deterred from buying sex when they know the prostitute has been trafficked or exploited. However, buyers tend to minimize the phenomenon of trafficking and sexual exploitation, and ignore the signals of force and coercion they may encounter (such as marks, bruises, the presence of pimps, age, the fact that the prostitute does not speak the language, the price of the service, etc.). According to a SOAIDS survey, 90% of the clients were unable to identify indicators of forced prostitution.. Male dominance is thought to be one reason why means society creates a pool of prostitutes by any means necessary so that men have what men need to stay on top, to feel big, literally, metaphorically, in every way; and yet men are our standard for being human. In a male-dominant society, men are the human beings. I want to point out to you that we use the word human metaphorically. We are not talking about how men act. We are talking about an ideal, a dream, a vision that we have, of what a human being is. We cannot want to be like them because being like them means using people the way that they use people--for the sake of establishing one's importance or one's identity. When men use women in prostitution, they are thought to be expressing a pure hatred for the female body. It is a contempt so deep, so deep, that a whole human life is reduced to a few sexual orifices, and he can do anything he wants. What prostitution does in a society of male dominance is that it establishes a social bottom beneath which there is no bottom. It is the bottom. Prostituted women are all on the bottom. And all men are above it Andrea Dworkin’s 1992 speech entitled “Prostitution and Male Supremacy”. Women Contrary to popular belief, there are women who inquire and are active clients for male prostitutes. Applying the criteria of male sex tourism, it appears that there also exists female sex tourism. Because it seems unfathomable for women to be vying for these services, women’s relations with local men were seen as more genuinely romantic and emotional and, therefore, much more acceptable. That physical contact followed was only a natural step of a romantic relationship. The distinction between the abominable sex tourism of men and the kind, loving relationship of women led to the coining of the term ‘Romance Tourism’, citing features such as the possibility “to explore new avenues for negotiating femaleness and maleness by allowing women to explore their gender identity in a new way and the men to benefit at least economically; neither partner would see this pastime as prostitution” (Bauer, 22). Women now, not only search for the erotic ‘other’ but make romance and sex the purpose of their trip. Today, increasing numbers of women travel to destinations in developing countries where sex with local men is the main attraction. This pastime raises concerns not only for the women themselves but for the local men involved as well as their sex partners and the local communities. Typically located near resorts in poorer countries, young men called bumsters or beach-boys, hire themselves to wealthy western women for social and sexual purposes. SOLUTIONS TO THIS ISSUE? Governments, international organizations, and NGOs have developed numerous conventions and strategies targeting the sex trade. However, since there is no universal agreement on the nature of the sex trade or how the industry should be regulated, efforts to implement the strategies vary considerably. So the sex industry continues to thrive due to its enormous profitability and a seemingly endless number of sex providers and buyers. The regulation of prostitution is a competence of national parliaments, though some regulations are devolved to regional or local authorities, such as, for instance, the districts in which street prostitution is allowed. Since the late 1990s, some European Union Member States, like the Netherlands and Germany, introduced new legislation to legalize prostitution and to enable prostitutes to work as service providers (known as the regulatory approach). The access of prostitutes to social security systems and their registration as taxpayers should enhance the social recognition of “sex workers” and reduce the vulnerability of prostitutes to exploitation. Several studies made in recent years suggest, indeed, that the legislation on prostitution increases the flow of trafficking for sexual exploitation, while the working conditions of prostitutes and the level of violence have not improved. On the other hand, the abolitionist approach, which focuses on the criminalization of all activities related to prostitution, has been adopted in Spain and Sweden but with a different focus. It seems that the Swedish legislation, which targets the buyer (mostly men) and thus criminalizes the demand side instead of the prostitutes themselves, is the only one which successfully criminalizes men buying women. According to official evaluations, this seems to have effectively reduced demand and deterred traffickers. Trafficking for sexual exploitation in order to satisfy the demand seems unavoidable, certainly when considering the high profit rates for legal pimps and brothel owners, which have to be considered being even higher for those acting illegally. Brazil’s Challenges Trafficking in girls and women remains a serious problem in Brazil and several NGO groups have been trying to urge the government to make a binding commitment to preventing and combating trafficking. One group - World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) - has suggested ratifying the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children Supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. So far, there is a huge lack of anti-trafficking legislation in Brazil. Apart from Article 231 and 231-A of Brazil’s criminal code which defines movement as an essential element in human trafficking, therefore, internal sex trafficking crimes such as child sex exploitation are prosecuted as other crimes Due to inconsistencies with international standards on human trafficking laws, Brazil often prosecutes internationally defined sex traffickers under pimping statutes and articles 227, 228, 229 (on the exploitation of the prostitution of women) in the Brazilian Penal Code, there is no specific legislation concerning trafficking in individuals. Thus, the penal law limits the trafficking of persons to the sexual exploitation of women and prostitution, leaving aside, for instance, the trafficking of children. This was legally dealt with after the entering into force of the statute on children and adolescents (ECA), in 1990 (article 244-A concerns the submission of children to sexual exploitation and prostitution). Inducing a child of 14 to 18 years old to participate in prostitution, however, is punishable by imprisonment of 2 to 6 years http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_02_brazil.pdf. In cases of violence or fraud, one can be sentenced 4 to 10 years in prison with fines. Running a brothel is punishable by 2 to 5 years of imprisonment and fines See Spandel, “La Explotación Sexual Comercial de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes en las legislaciones de Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay: alternativas de armonización para el Mercosur”. Brazilian judicial procedures remain slow and the judicial system is widely perceived as a corrupt institution. In the Global Corruption Barometer of Transparency International, in the year 2013, 50 percent of Brazilians reported that they believe their judicial system was corrupt or extremely corrupt. At the least, most cases lasted for 3 years, while others have been found to have had lengthy trials, some lasting for more than 8 years See footnote 7. On the other hand, given the aforementioned low prosecution and conviction rates, it is not only important for Brazil to uphold international standards, but it is also crucial that its government invests resources in law enforcement, and prosecutes criminals, giving them actual prison sentences rather than just community service or fines. For years, prosecution of human trafficking has remained comparatively low, and conviction rates tend to be even lower due to inefficient investigative work, as well as corruption in the judicial sector. In addition, any trials for criminal offenses must be held within a certain period, giving judges the opportunity to dismiss cases without a hearing, benefiting human trafficking perpetrators simply by delaying the process. There still exists prejudice and discrimination against women which interfere in judicial practices, in particular the demand that women conform to certain moral standards. There is moral judgment of the victim’s behavior and this intervenes against an objective analysis of the facts. What ends up happening is nothing; judges, lawyers and police alike usually do nothing to prevent this discrimination, and sometimes even actively disqualify the victim’s behavior and dignity. According to Angela Miles, this phenomenon coupled with places where prostitution is illegal, “it’s women who are [almost always] arrested, charged and prosecuted. The police don’t arrest the male buyers...because [most of the time, they] identify with the men” (27). The majority of Brazilian trafficking adult victims are women and who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation to Europe, Japan, Israel, and the United States, though most of the time, girls are trafficked around the Northeastern area of Brazil around popular tourist areas. Almost everywhere there are laws designed to limit and control prostitution but they rarely achieve their desired effect. Laws against prostitution organizers may temporarily reduce the activity but also drive it into more covert forms. Laws punishing prostitutes further reduce their power to protect themselves and leave them vulnerable to arbitrary and corrupt behavior by officials. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) a law enacted to end human trafficking. It provides an evaluation tool that rates nations on their efforts and ability to end human trafficking. Through the U.S. Department of State, each country is assigned a “tier” that is used to measure how individual nations comply with U.S. anti-trafficking policies (Goodey 432). Tier 1 is given to nations that comply with U.S. anti-trafficking policies, and Tier 3 is the lowest ranking, assigned to nations with the lowest level of compliance. Designation as a Tier 3 nation can have serious consequences and can lead to sanctions from the U.S. government, which affect non-humanitarian and non-trade-related aid (Goodey 432). Brazil is a Tier 2 country at the moment and this is based on the “Trafficking in Persons” report published by the U.S. Department of State and Brazil’s placement into one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments’ efforts to comply with the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking” found in Section 108 of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). Brazil is listed as a Tier 2 country by the U.S. State Department in 2014 Report on Trafficking in Person, which suggests that even though Brazil’s laws do not fully comply with the international minimum standard for trafficking in persons, it is relatively invested in making progress http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2014/226649.htm. While Tier 1 is the highest ranking, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem. On the contrary, a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complies with the TVPA’s minimum standards. Additionally, the TVPA sets a minimum standard for countries to follow as they strive to actively combat trafficking through the use of a “3 Ps” paradigm: Prevention of human trafficking; Protection of victims; and Prosecution of trafficking offenders. The prevention and prosecution elements of the “3 Ps” approach are rooted in the victim response model to human trafficking. Responding to the needs of trafficking victims is generally less complicated compared with trying to resolve the root causes of human trafficking, which often include unequal economies or conflicts and war (Goodey 431). Interventions with sex workers Because of the how fast sexually transmitted diseases can spread without proper health education particularly in developing countries, interventions with sex workers—with health education, screening, and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and condom supply—are the most cost effective HIV control strategy. Developing appropriate interventions requires a comprehensive picture of the shape and location of local sex industries. It’s likely that we won't be rid of prostitution anytime soon, so taking preventative measures to lower the risk of spread of disease and ensure the health of victims involved in prostitution, the above mentioned precautions are a good start. In relation to the prevention of trafficking, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), an NGO group, has recommended that the government make further efforts to address some of the root causes of trafficking through, inter alia, ensuring that women’s economic, social and cultural rights are protected and respected in practice. To this end, effective measures to prevent and eradicate discrimination against women in employment, to facilitate access to affordable housing and to prevent and combat gender-related violence need to be adopted. I also strongly urge the government give serious consideration to the adoption of comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that enshrines the rights of trafficking victims to appropriate protection and assistance. CONCLUSION Trafficking is an increasingly important development issue, particularly for many of the countries and regions of developing world. Trafficking in women and children is a major component of global trafficking, especially in Brazil, although the precise magnitude is not known due to the lack of accurate data. Although anti-trafficking activities are largely focused on women and girls, and the international community is generally aware of the rights violations involved, trafficking projects, programs and interventions remain largely gender blind and are often incompatible with a rights based development perspective. Human rights are those which are essential to live as human beings – basic standards without which people cannot survive and develop good self-esteem. They are inherent to each human being, inalienable and universal. Prostitution and trafficking violates these basic human rights and is the epitome of unfree sex relations between women and men. It cements women’s commodified relationship to men. In effect, it is a denial of the equality of women, and the purchase of or sale of a woman for sex, is a violation of a woman’s right of equality. I focus on women here because in Brazil, there isn’t a big market for male prostitution, and women (as well as children) are the ones most at risk. That isn’t to say that the rights of men who are prostituted aren’t of importance; it’s that these men aren’t having to deal with perpetuating social myths about sexuality which stigmatize women but not them. Women are differently and unequally situated in relation to men in terms of their different and less valued social roles and attributes. This makes women and girls more vulnerable to trafficking and results in a host of abuses peculiar to and more commonly perpetrated against them throughout the trafficking process. A gender and rights orientation to trafficking must address the different and specific needs of women and of children at all stages of the trafficking process. It must focus on realizing rights equally for men and women, girls and boys by empowering them to claim their rights and by ensuring enabling policy, institutional and social environments that are responsive especially to the concerns of women and children. Realization of the structural dimension of women’s human rights is the key to both the prevention of trafficking in women and girls, and the integration of survivors of trafficking into their communities of choice. This recognition points to the need for an integrated and multi-sectoral approach to address trafficking as a development issue at national and local levels. Recognition of the global nature of trafficking and its prevention points to the need at regional and international levels for coordinated collaboration among countries of origin, countries of transit and countries of destination, as well as the international community as a whole. 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