Brazil Government Site Gives Tips to Prostitutes

A spokesperson for Brazil's Labor Ministry said Tuesday that a Web resource offering health and occupational tips to sex workers will be toned down in response to critics, who complained that the site encourages prostitution. Launched by the government in 2002, the site includes HIV information and advises prostitutes on how to negotiate condom use with customers. "The information was created with the help of [non-governmental organizations] and the prostitutes themselves," said the spokesperson, who requested anonymity. "What is on the site gives the impression of an apology for sexual exploitation," Luiz Flavio Gomes, a law professor, told the newspaper O Globo. The ministry spokesperson said some of the more explicit language and tips on the site will be moderated by year's end. Prostitution is legal in Brazil.

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