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Sex work or no work
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1. |
30 Jan 2008 Wed 04:19 am |
OMG! Take a look at this article.... It's so horrible!
For an impoverished beauty queen, a stark choice: sex work or no work
Women's media campaign in Nicaragua overturns crackdown on brothels across capital.
What Natasha does on the bed in the dingy room with flaking orange paint so shames her she cannot bring herself to use the word. She calls it "so and so" and sells it here from midday to midnight, six days a week.
On a very good day she makes £45. With each 30-minute session earning £2.50 that works out at 18 different men, many drunk, some violent. She tries to forget the very good days.
Article continues
"I don't want to be with a strange man who wants to kiss your whole body. Some suck you up and leave red marks. It's ugly." Natasha shuddered. "Ugly, ugly, ugly."
Three years ago she won two beauty contests and was runner-up in another two, including Miss Best Legs, on Nicaragua's impoverished Caribbean coast. With dreams of modelling she boarded a bus for the distant capital, Managua.
But Nicaragua has not fully recovered from its 1980s war and remains the second-poorest country in the Americas after Haiti. Economic necessity kills many dreams.
Now 19, she is a veteran of Salvadoreño, a bar and brothel in a tough barrio known as Costa Rica. The days pass in a miasma of beer, sweat and perfume. "I would not wish my worst enemy to be here," she said. "This is the worst thing you can do."
Not quite, it turns out. There is an even worse alternative: doing nothing. Two months ago police raids shut brothels across the city, expelled clients and sent sex workers home. The leftwing Sandinista government billed the crackdown as a socially progressive effort to protect women from exploitation.
The would-be beneficiaries did not see it that way. Their work, however ghastly, was a ticket out of poverty.
Dozens of prostitutes from Salvadoreño led a revolt against what they said was a violation of rights. Emerging from the shadows of their trade, they went public and mounted an unprecedented media campaign to overturn the ban. Astonished by the protests, the authorities relented and within a week the women were back at work.
"It was just before Christmas and we badly needed money for our families," said Carolina Hacks, 23, another worker at Salvadoreño. "But then we always need money, we're the breadwinners for our children and parents."
(...)
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2. |
30 Jan 2008 Wed 08:54 pm |
Very tragic....so sad.
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 08:58 pm |
Quoting alameda: Very tragic....so sad. |
I know...
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 09:00 pm |
So sad that these women are forced to fight for something so vial just to survive. I can't imagine how despirate they must feel.
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 09:16 pm |
Quoting Elisabeth: So sad that these women are forced to fight for something so vial just to survive. I can't imagine how despirate they must feel. |
Yes, exactly.... I cannot imagine how they can survive this way, the emotional scar must be unbearable. If I was in their shoes, I think I'd have to die...
This is only a part of a much larger problem. Women from such poor countries are often trafficked as sex workers to western countries. For example, I read long time ago that in Germany, they were going to bring a couple thousand sex workers from eastern countries for some sort of big game event....
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 09:45 pm |
Quoting catwoman: Quoting Elisabeth: So sad that these women are forced to fight for something so vial just to survive. I can't imagine how despirate they must feel. |
Yes, exactly.... I cannot imagine how they can survive this way, the emotional scar must be unbearable. If I was in their shoes, I think I'd have to die...
This is only a part of a much larger problem. Women from such poor countries are often trafficked as sex workers to western countries. For example, I read long time ago that in Germany, they were going to bring a couple thousand sex workers from eastern countries for some sort of big game event....
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Not to mention it could also be a death sentence via HIV. I think the only thing to do about it is consciousness awarness. I mean, how could a man actually want to "be" with a woman under those conditions? Granted,the women have to attract customers in order to survibe...but they are still being forced.
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 09:49 pm |
I think what is even more urgent is improving the economic situation of women.
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:06 pm |
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:12 pm |
Quoting MrX67: Chastity can't buy with any money.. |
What are you talking about!!!! Have you read the article????
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:13 pm |
Quoting MrX67: Quoting catwoman: I think what is even more urgent is improving the economic situation of women. |
Chastity can't buy with any money.. |
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:15 pm |
Quoting catwoman: Quoting MrX67: Chastity can't buy with any money.. |
What are you talking about!!!! Have you read the article???? |
you mentioned about economic stiuation isn't it?
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:23 pm |
Quoting MrX67: you mentioned about economic stiuation isn't it? |
so you haven't read the article!!! please read it, it's horrendous!
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:31 pm |
Anything would be better than to prostitute oneself, the streets or death pick one. How can a woman ever have a normal life after being through something like this? So sad for them
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:34 pm |
Quoting azade: Anything would be better than to prostitute oneself, the streets or death pick one. How can a woman ever have a normal life after being through something like this? So sad for them |
If this was the only way I could feed my family, death wouldn't be an option. It seems these women are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty. There is no right decision...only survival.
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:38 pm |
Quoting Elisabeth: Quoting azade: Anything would be better than to prostitute oneself, the streets or death pick one. How can a woman ever have a normal life after being through something like this? So sad for them |
If this was the only way I could feed my family, death wouldn't be an option. It seems these women are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty. There is no right decision...only survival. |
+1000000000000
I think it's easy to say that we wouldn't do this unless we find ourselves in such extreme situations
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16. |
30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:42 pm |
sorry for my prejudiced post,i think i couldn't get seriousness of topic..
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 10:45 pm |
Quoting catwoman: Quoting Elisabeth: Quoting azade: Anything would be better than to prostitute oneself, the streets or death pick one. How can a woman ever have a normal life after being through something like this? So sad for them |
If this was the only way I could feed my family, death wouldn't be an option. It seems these women are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty. There is no right decision...only survival. |
+1000000000000
I think it's easy to say that we wouldn't do this unless we find ourselves in such extreme situations  |
Absolutly, until you are in the situation. What if you had a baby that needed food? You just don't know. I hope none of us are ever so tested. I hope all the women who are forced into this situation are able to make better lives for themselves.
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30 Jan 2008 Wed 11:03 pm |
If you were in this kind of situation you should not have brought a baby into the world, and if you already had children beforehand I'm sure you would do everything possible to find a different line of work. ANYTHING would be better. (I hate how "you" is so specific in english...)
Maybe at some level it depends on how free spirited one is? Don't know. (Hereby NOT saying they want to do it, absolutely not, but before doing something like this you must accept it, however much it makes you cringe, and I don't think everyone has this in them). I know that women in the situation probably think that there is no other way but that's what makes it even sadder. There are always other alternatives, if it means working the hardest labour, so be it.
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31 Jan 2008 Thu 12:13 am |
Quoting azade: If you were in this kind of situation you should not have brought a baby into the world, and if you already had children beforehand I'm sure you would do everything possible to find a different line of work. ANYTHING would be better. (I hate how "you" is so specific in english...)
Maybe at some level it depends on how free spirited one is? Don't know. (Hereby NOT saying they want to do it, absolutely not, but before doing something like this you must accept it, however much it makes you cringe, and I don't think everyone has this in them).....I There are always other alternatives, if it means working the hardest labour, so be it. |
Sometimes by the time they are in this type of situation, the baby is already here....and sometimes there is NO other work available...remember there are men looking to save their loved ones too...I have heard stories of women in the Nazi concentration camps who did what they had to do to save their children and themselves maybe other loved ones. What I'm saying is sometimes there are worse things than death.
All I'm saying is we just don't know what caused these women to be in this situation and I don't think we should judge them too hard.
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31 Jan 2008 Thu 01:25 am |
Quoting alameda: All I'm saying is we just don't know what caused these women to be in this situation and I don't think we should judge them too hard. |
+10000000000
I totally agree!
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31 Jan 2008 Thu 02:07 am |
Quoting azade: There are always other alternatives, if it means working the hardest labour, so be it. |
That is exactly what they are doing - the hardest labour. I thank God I am not in the position of having to make such a choice. hmmm "choice" is probably an extremely inadequate word in this inatance.
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31 Jan 2008 Thu 02:33 am |
Quoting catwoman: Quoting alameda: All I'm saying is we just don't know what caused these women to be in this situation and I don't think we should judge them too hard. |
+10000000000
I totally agree!  |
Me too, me too!
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23. |
31 Jan 2008 Thu 02:41 am |
I agree with alameda as well about not judging them and I know that they are often fooled into the trade and quickly get stuck in a vicious circle they can't get out of. It is the absolutely worst thing anyone could be subjected to.
Just forget it I don't know how to explain my view of this but I still think it would be better to work like a horse than do this. Maybe because of my religious views but nevermind, I'm really not trying to make these women look bad because I have the greatest symphaty with them.
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31 Jan 2008 Thu 02:49 am |
Quoting azade: I agree with alameda as well about not judging them and I know that they are often fooled into the trade and quickly get stuck in a vicious circle they can't get out of. It is the absolutely worst thing anyone could be subjected to.
Just forget it I don't know how to explain my view of this but I still think it would be better to work like a horse than do this. Maybe because of my religious views but nevermind, I'm really not trying to make these women look bad because I have the greatest symphaty with them. |
Azade, I think it is easy to moralize if you've never even seen such extreme life conditions. I also disagree with this sort of behavior (under normal circumstances) because of my ethical views (NOT religious), but I think you cannot look at this issue in such linear ways. You can be sure that any one of those women would much prefer to have an industry job if she could.
What I'm more repulsed and disgusted by is the MEN who mistreat these women! MEN who violate these women, who treat them like sub-humans because they "pay for them". Those men are less then animals in my eyes, they have NO excuse whatsoever.
I think Peace train put it well saying that these women are already doing the hardest job.
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31 Jan 2008 Thu 03:07 am |
Quoting azade: I agree with alameda as well about not judging them and I know that they are often fooled into the trade and quickly get stuck in a vicious circle they can't get out of. It is the absolutely worst thing anyone could be subjected to.
Just forget it I don't know how to explain my view of this but I still think it would be better to work like a horse than do this. Maybe because of my religious views but nevermind, I'm really not trying to make these women look bad because I have the greatest symphaty with them. |
I think I understand you Azade. It is just that I cannot judge them because, to use one of Femme's phrases, I would have to "walk in their shoes" first in order to begin to understand the extreme predicament they find themselves in.
Peace
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26. |
31 Jan 2008 Thu 05:36 am |
Quoting peace train: ......I think I understand you Azade. It is just that I cannot judge them because, to use one of Femme's phrases, I would have to "walk in their shoes" first in order to begin to understand the extreme predicament they find themselves in.
Peace |
Yes, and we should be VERY grateful we are not in their shoes and hope with from the deepest parts of our hearts we never get in those shoes.
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