Sex work in Rio de Janeiro: more than tolerated - effectively managed

Book Chapter

Summary *

The absence of prostitution regulation in Rio de Janeiro cannot be understoodas the result of state inaction regarding sex work; rather, it should be construedas a policy of putting the largest amount of control over prostitution in policehands. By not defining prostitution as illegal while repressing the vaguely definedlenocínio, the Brazilian state has decided to leave everyday decisions regardingsex work and its conflicts up to individual precinct captains who applytheir own personal understandings, prejudices, and interests to the situationin accordance with whatever fashions are current in the surrounding society.However, while this peculiar Brazilian system gives the police a wide scope ofaction when dealing with prostitutes, it also gives sex workers more space tomanoeuvre and negotiate than is perhaps possible in other urban contexts. Information provided by the agent in SIGEVA