Rio anthropologist Thaddeus Blanchette breaks down one of the unspoken facts of prostitution in Rio: the police work as pimps, and the militia provides “security.”
In this video prepared for the October 2014 2nd International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health in Amsterdam, Blanchette explains how the most serious case of violence against sex workers during World Cup in Rio was committed by police, in the name of fighting the sexual exploitation of sex workers by the militia. The fall-out from the botched police raid resulted in the pursuit of the only sex worker who testified, Joyce, by both the police and the militia. After two attempts on her life, Joyce continues to live in hiding and fight for justice for herself and her colleagues.
Keep watching:
It’s been almost five months since sex worker Joyce was assaulted, robbed and raped by Rio police in the name of fighting sexual exploitation, and – after she testified – kidnapped by police officers in Rio de Janeiro. This is what happened next. (WATCH)
Thaddeus Blanchette presents the Observatory of Prostitution’s preliminary findings of research on the World Cup effect on Rio de Janeiro’s sex industry for the 2nd International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health in Amsterdam this October. (WATCH)
