The Rio de Janeiro city government announced recently that it is shutting down one of the city’s most infamous nightclubs, “Help” in Copacabana, known for rampant prostitution and to a lesser degree, drug trafficking.<\/p>\n
Though the club used to be a hot spot for middle and upper class Cariocas in the 1980s, it gradually transformed into a club for tourists and prostitutes in the 1990s. Women pay the entrance fee of R$23 and can earn up to 20 times more in one night. One prostitute claimed she made R$2,000 during Carnival alone.<\/p>\n
Prices, however, vary by nationality. Prostitutes typically charge R$200 to Argentines, while Swiss tourists pay up to R$500. Sometimes, though not frequently, prostitutes go abroad to live with their clients, usually in Europe, and have come to be known as “Ronaldinhas<\/i>.”<\/p>\n But this spot frequented by the city’s prostitutes will soon be closing. The government’s plan is to convert the space into the Museu da Imagem e do Som<\/i> (the Museum of Image and Sound). Supporters of the plan applauded the government for finally making the move to get rid of the club.<\/p>\n However, in an article featured in Globo’s weekend magazine, Revista<\/i>, several groups are featured that actually are against shutting down the nightclub.<\/p>\n First, the NGO A DaVida<\/i>, a group that defends prostitutes’ rights, claims that the nightclub is actually a safer venue for prostitutes to make money, without any middlemen or bosses who could exploit them. In Brazil, prostitution is in fact legal, but prostitutes’ explora\u00e7\u00e3<\/i>o<\/i> (exploitation) is not.<\/p>\n Next, an American anthropologist who lives in Rio with his Brazilian wife has performed studies and interviews at the club, and also argues that the club is a place for “safe” prostitution. He also claims it is one of the few places where women have the ability to pick and chose their own clients.<\/p>\n But despite their arguments, it seems the government has the last word, and the future of Copa’s working women is unclear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Rio de Janeiro city government announced recently that it is shutting down one of the city’s most infamous nightclubs, “Help” in Copacabana, known for rampant prostitution and to a lesser degree, drug trafficking. Though the club used to be a hot spot for middle and upper class Cariocas in the 1980s, it gradually transformed…<\/p>\n