Sex tourism occurs across Brazil but is centered in Fortaleza in the northeast, a region of beaches and nearly year-round sunshine.
Fortaleza, Brazil is one of the host cities for this year's world cup. It is situated in the northeastern corner of Brazil and its also known as a magnet for sex tourism.
As you approach the city,the newly renovated Castelao football stadium looms into sight up ahead. Driving just past it, you see women standing on street corners, leaning into cars and flashing nearly naked bodies in the low light.Prostitution is legal in Brazil for those 18
or older, but government and soccer officials are trying to crack down on the child sex trade before the tournament kicks off In June.
Antonio Carlos da Silva, a social worker with O Pequeno Nazareno, says the prostitutes around the stadium now cater to truckers but dream about big bucks from visiting fans.
"Ever since Brazil was selected to host the World Cup in 2014, it created these huge expectations," he says as we drive down a darkened avenue.
"The girls keep asking me "where can I take English classes so I can get more clients?""
Taina, an 18-year-old transsexual who has
been working the streets since she was a minor said:
"Sometimes people want trannies , sometimes they want girls,hiding down side streets"
According to her,child prostitutes hide down side streets or behind bus stops.
According to critics, officials havepushed the child sex trade out of sight, but haven't done enough to eradicate its root causes. They warn underage prostitution could explode
during the World Cup.
"These girls come from extreme poverty, a culture of social exclusion and a tradition of profound disrespect for women," says Antonia Lima Sousa, a state prosecutor.
She says the desperation is so great, some parents even put their own children on the street. But there is also a serious problem with organized crime.
"It involves a whole tourism network, from agencies to hotels to taxis," she says. "With these mega events, sexual exploitation is also going to be organized much more via the Internet."
Despite promises to eradicate child prostitution, the number of estimated child sex workers in Brazil stood at about half a million in 2012, according to the non-profit National Forum for the Prevention of Child Labor.
Fortaleza is considered a hotspot for child sex tourism, due to the wide spread poverty as well as a now long-standing reputation that means potential clients continue to seek out the beach resort over other Brazilian destinations, often chartering planes direct from Europe, according to
prosecutors.
It will also host six World Cup games including teams and fans from Germany,
Greece, Mexico and the Ivory Coast.
A total of 600,000 foreign visitors are expected in Brazil and another three million Brazilian fans are expected to travel
around the country.
Looking at some of the girls they are barely in their teens, but experts say they use fake
IDs In other to freely practice the trade. Down a side alley, we find two girls who say they're 16 and 17 but look much younger. They don't smile and talk barely above a whisper.
"I've been doing this for two months" says one girl. The other one says: "We use the money to buy things we need, clothes,school supplies."
They say they don't have pimps or protectors and when clients refuse to pay, they have to walk hours to get home.
During the Confederation's Cup last year, underage prostitutes and street children were swept up by police and taken to a shelter outside of town. But after the
tournament was over, they were turned
loose. I hope the government and religious groups can help stop this menace.
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