Brazilian prostitutes in small Portugal town
Time Europe has a long article about the recent influx of Brazilian prostitutes to a small town in Portugal, a case study in the cultural impact of international sex trafficking.
Bragança's meninas brasileiras, or Brazilian girls, are part of the estimated $50 billion global sex trade that profits from the hundreds of thousands of women transported across national borders by human traffickers — often through coercion, sometimes willingly — to be sold or rented on the other side. A tiny fraction have found their way to Bragança, a town of 27,600 tucked into the corner of Portugal's isolated Trás-os-Montes (beyond the mountains) region. But there's nothing small or insignificant about the effect the meninas have had on the town, which for 800 years was known mostly for its storybook castle, complete with a "Princess Tower" where at least one heartbroken maiden is said to have jumped to her death. As Paula and an activist band of other wives see it, the meninas have invaded and degraded their town. To explain the hold these Brazilian women have over their husbands, the wives tell themselves stories, accusing the prostitutes of using drugs and even witchcraft to seduce the men. "The men are the most guilty, but the meninas are the most dirty," says Paula. And earlier this year, as seven strip clubs and countless private brothels opened in Bragança, the wives decided to fight back.
In response to the negative attention, the Portuguese government may pull its tourism ads from Time for a week or two.
