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