A Hell of a Protest

Some people take their protests to pretty extreme levels...

Prostitutes sew lips together in Bolivia protest

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the Bolivian city of El Alto sewed their lips together on Wednesday as part of a hunger strike to demand that the mayor reopen brothels and bars ordered closed after violent protests by residents last week.


"We are fighting for the right to work and for our families' survival," Lily Cortez, leader of the El Alto Association of Nighttime Workers, told local television.

"Tomorrow we will bury ourselves alive if we are not immediately heard. The mayor will have his conscience to answer to if there are any grave consequences, such as the death of my comrades," she said, surrounded by about 10 prostitutes who had sewn their lips together with thread.

Some 30 other women were shown fasting inside a medical clinic nearby.

Mayor Fanor Nava told local radio he would not reopen the brothels and bars closed after city residents fed up with underage drinking and crime stormed the red-light district in El Alto, an impoverished city just north of La Paz.

Prostitution in Bolivia is legal but pimping is outlawed.

Student activists who want the bars and brothels permanently shut down were also on a hunger strike, along with the leaders of an association representing bars, restaurants and karaoke establishments.

"It's not only us owners and the sex workers who are affected, there are thousands of waiters, cooks, bartenders, taxi drivers and street vendors who will be without income," said Ramiro Orellana, spokesman for the business group.

El Alto is one of the largest urban areas in Bolivia, with nearly 1 million inhabitants, mostly Aymara and Quechua Indians.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_bolivia_prostitutes



Personally, I still think that things like prostitution ought to be fully legal here in the US, because, arrogant as I am, I think we could manage it without all the disorganization the Bolivians are seeing. And it's obvious that legalized prostitution has economic benefits in terms of job creation - look at all the Bolivians whose jobs are effected by these closures.

Your thoughts?

 

Firstly, how can thier demands be heard by the mayor if thier lips are sewn shut? Just curious about that bit of info from the story.

If one were to look at the system they have in Nevada, it appears to be function without to much trouble. Meaning the brothel system, not outright prostitution.
The girls working at those places do so willingly, in a safe manner and it is an economic boom for everyone with a stake in the matter.