Hidden Side of Tourism

Your spouse is planning to go on a business trip to Brazil. Before departing, you tell him or her to have a wonderful time and to bring back mementos for family and friends. You imagine that he or she will bring back photos of the lush land, sparkling blue water, and maybe a t-shirt or two. The last thing you expect, however, is for your loved to get caught up in an international scandal.

- Illegal Sex Trade in Brazil

Brazil is a popular vacation spot that attracts many regular tourists and travelers all year round. But unknown to many people is a side of tourism that countries such as Brazil have been combating for years. It is called sex tourism, when married or single men and women visit countries with a high rate of poverty in order to proposition the natives for intimate relations. It has become a serious problem in Brazil, with authorities and the international community cracking down on the activity.

- How it Works

While prostitution is legal in Brazil, many tourist that go to the country looking for the "taboo" will approach people that are not prostitutes and offer them money in exchange for companionship and sexual favors. Many of the woman that go there for these purposes are interested in experiencing the romantic fantasy of being swept off their feet, much like Stella in the fiction book How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and put themselves and others at risk of contracting disease and other physical harm. Men that go there specifically for this unsavory side of tourism are drawn to the country based on the misconception that all Brazilian women are sexually free females ready and willing to engage in the activity. This fallacy has resulted in harassment and even rape.

- Why it Happens

On the flip side of that, there are those in the country that approach travelers in anticipation that they may be able to obtain money in exchange for fulfilling the fantasies of the foreigners. Some that approach the tourists are looking for someone that they, too, can take advantage of due to the tourist's lack of knowledge of the landscape and laws. They will sell themselves and also force their children into illegal prostitution due to a lack of monetary resources. The tourists, often from The United States or Europe, that are willing to take advantage of the citizens will gladly give money in order to engage in the illegal activity. It is speculated that these types of vacationers believe that their actions will not be known and they can easily indulge themselves without consequences. They do not go to the legal prostitution houses for fear of having to give over identification.

- The Dangers

According to the government of Brazil, there is often no interest in safe sex in these exchanges; it is estimated that 1.7 million people in the country are infected with HIV, and the continuance of sex tourism is making it difficult to combat the the spread of the disease. Women and children in the country have been harassed and raped by foreign tourists and often have few means of recourse against the perpetrators. For the travelers that are interested in companionship but not sex, they are surprised when they find themselves to be the victims of robbery or assault and can do little about it. For the others that engage in the illegal sexual exchange, they may contract a deadly disease that, if they don't get caught and arrested, they will then bring back home to their significant other, or they may spread a fatal disease they already have to those that have little access to proper medical treatment.

- What is Being Done

The government of Brazil has instituted a practice of arresting and detaining any tourist suspected of engaging in illegal sex tourism activity. (This may also, unfortunately, mean that some innocent tourists can be implicated as well.) They are also engaged in a broad campaign warning away any visitor that is interested in coming to the country to take part in the activity. The government is also cracking down on child prostitution, and NGOs are putting pressure on the authorities regarding prostitution and human rights in general. Organizations such as the World Bank are instituting Urban Development programs to significantly reduce poverty in countries such as Brazil. The citizens in the country are trying to raise awareness about the severe problem of sex tourism and human rights abuses.

- What You Can Do

To protect yourself against possible attack and misrepresentation while traveling abroad, check travel safety websites. Do not go go with people you aren't familiar with to locations you don't know. Learn as much as you can about your destination before you travel. And above all, use your common sense.