www.CostaRicaTicas.com

La Nación ran a remarkably reasonable opinion piece the other day on prostitution in CR. Entitled Trabajo sexual y valentía (Sex work and courage), it takes positions that I believe many here would be in agreement with:






The article goes on to encourage the government to address health and safety issues for sex workers, including that they get a fair wage at massage parlors and participate in the Caja (state run health and retirement system).

Interesting...

Spanish: http://www.nacion.com/2010-05-15/Opinion/Foro/Opinion2372140.aspx

English: http://translate.google.co.cr/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nacion.com%2F2010-05-15%2FOpinion%2FForo%2FOpinion2372140.aspx&sl=es&tl=en

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It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

thanks for the link...and a good opportunity to practice my spanish reading

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

I hate pimps. They need to keep the anti-pimp law in place. Laws that tell consenting adults what they can and cannot do in the privacy of their own bedroom are mega-F'ed up.

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The sexiest part of the human body? The brain.

This is a very logical approach to the prostitution situation here in CR. Therefore I assume "Laura and her merry band of Legislators" have zero chance of following any of it.

Prostitues in Germany, Netherlands and Scandinavia pay into their Soc.Scu. Funds and receive Soc. Security after age 66 (if they live that long). So, its done somewhere else and it keeps the Pimps out.
Duessel

That all sounds very good. In fact, this part:made me want to rush out and buy a red umbrella for my next trip down to CR. Better yet, imagine if those guys selling umbrellas around the Gulch every time it rains, kept a stock of special red "monger umbrellas". They could make a special pitch to any sex-tourist looking guy that passed by to "buy a red umbrella and show your support for your chica's rights". I bet a lot of guys would buy one. They might even actually feel COMPELLED to buy one if they also happened to be with their young chica sexworker at the time. Who knows, its possible, given that pitch, those umbrella guys could even sell a few when it was NOT even raining or sell the special red ones at an even higher premium when it WAS raining. Before you'd know it those special red umbrellas might be seen popping up all over the the Gulch. Then imagine the message of solidarity that might send. Alternatively, an enterprising guy could bring some of these down to CR to hand out as gifts and to score points with the chicas.

More seriously though I do have one question about something in the article and please pardon me if this just shows my ignorance. My impression has been that these massage parlor girls currently don't get paid ANY wages by the establishment. I thought they drew 100% of their income from the money given to them by the MP patrons and that they actually had to pay the house a portion of that for the use of the room every time they brought a guy into the back. Or else there was some similar type of financial arrangement designed to prevent pimping charges against the establishment. So my question is, even though a guaranteed minimum wage with full employment benefits sounds great for such sex workers, how is that gonna jive with the restriction against pimping? The MP's could get caught in a "damned if you do or damned if you don't" situation where if they take the money from the johns and then pay the girls they face prosecution for pimping but if they don't pay the girls they face prosecution for violating the new labor laws. If that happens, this could actually force them out of business (which I'm sure would suit Chunkzilla and her allies fine - do away with prostitution under the guise of trying to help the poor girls). I realize this system works in some of the European countries, but they also have a much more enlightened view about prostitution. I'm not so sure how it would work in a country like CR where so much of the country seems to just want prostitution to go completely away. How do the Europeans do it? Independent girls rent rooms (Wohnungspuffs) or work at FKK clubs and the johns pay the employment taxes on top of the base rates? Girls report their income and pay the taxes on that income themselves?

BTW, from a more selfish standpoint, I have to wonder, if they did manage to force some sort of wage and benefit requirement for MP girls, what that would do (if anything) to the low prices we currently enjoy.

I thought the "house" takes a percentage for "rent". I'm not really sure. I would say BB57 would have the lowdown on this. BB what is the story????
Regards, 911 Driver

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The happy hour is a device either for getting rid of social obligations hurriedly en masse or for making overtures toward more serious social relationships, as in the etiquette of whoring.- Brooks Atkinson

The massage parlors operate on a pension *hourly hotel) licenses. There is no such thing as a mp licenses here. Technically the girls are independent and you and the girls are guest of the hotel. You are paying the hotel and girl separately. Obviously this creates a grey area that most if not all mps are on the wrong side of. Almost all are set up where the girls are de facto employees. You may not like my answer but I believe it to be correct. The Del Rey and Sportsmens are examples of true independent places wiht no grey area surrounding the pimping law.

BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

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BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

Getting CR prostitutes to organize would be harder than herding cats. Even if the laws were written to give the girls rights, such as a minimum wage or whatnot, if it's enforced the way current labor laws are enforced, it's a nothing burger. It would take major planning and organization to turn Calle 6 brothels (for example) into government supervised and regulated businesses.

As I am fond of pointing out, 40+% of Costa Ricas GDP is in the 'informal' economy, that is, outside the system as far as legal protection and paying taxes goes. When I see that number fall to something manageable I'll worry about organized prostitutes. By the way, I'm all for them being paid fairly and not exploited by the brothel owners. Unfortunately, there are just too many prostitutes who are scraping by (DR, HLH, SL and KL excepted) to have any leverage. Oversupply of labor, undersupply of work = exploitation. And let's not EVEN go into how many foreign girls are here working illegally.

It's a nice dream, but ain't gonna happen.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

The last two posts by BKTUNA & BILKO are right on for the most part! The only real exception I would have is Bilko's statement:



My disagreement is with the"DR HLH SL KL excepted" part!! 90% of those chicas ARE JUST scraping by also!!! There is no way the vast majority of those chicas in those venues are making any where near as much money over a week or months time as most gringos seem to think! IT JUST AIN'T HAPPENING especially over the past year--the number of gringos visiting here and the average amount they are spending on chicas IS WAY DOWN! Business is also way down in the Tico MPs. Was talking about this with Janette, a very popular Colombiana at the Mansion, just the other day. She told me that a year ago she was averaging more than c100000 per week;now it is c50000-c60000! By the way, this is what the majority of the Indies average per week if they work (are in the REY SL etc. looking) atleast 4 day/nights a week.An ex-favorita who works the SL and was averaging 1+ per day at c40000 minimum is now averaging one every other day and is frequently going for c35000 and sometimes c30000. One of the other very popular SL chicas almost always goes now for c30000. Jenny's income at Relax is also down about 30% (still more than 95% of the indies make)-- 95% of the indies average less than 1 negocio every 3 days; and the vast majority of those are going for $50-$60 (c25000-c30000), not the 'cien' asking price. Even though they get 2-2 1/2 times more per session in the HLH compared to other "Tico" MTs, the chicas there (outside of 3 or 4 chicas) average doing less than half the negocios that the 'average' chica in a "Tico" MP does, so in the long run they are making about the same money!!

All MPs walk a very thin line when it comes to the 'Pimping laws' here!!! Even how, or who the client pays can be a big issue. According to a couple of owners, both of whom own, and have owned more than one MP for years, the biggest issue with the police concerning pimping is when the client pays the management directly instead of the chica (como uno de las mass popular MP). Other areas of concern to the authorities is when the MP is known to restrict what a chica can and cannot do 'afuera' (outside) of the MP, and what days and hours she must work!!

OH! and one exception with BK's comment about the REY and SL being "examples of true independant places with NO gray area surrounding the pimping law". This is correct with the SL, BUT, with the REY, NOT SO MUCH!!!! Charging the guy $10 every time he takes a chica to his room is "profitting" from prostitution which is techniquely "pimping". "Profitting from prostitution is pimping" and if you "receive money or benifits from introducing a client to a prostitute, it is concidered pimping" are the reasons I never charged guys when I was doing the walking tours. And as we all know, this is Costa Rica, and the laws can and are interpreted anyway they (the authorities) want to!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

I wonder if the chica cards issued by the SL could put the establishment at extra risk

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"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB

I think the issue is whether you are pimping or promoting prostitution.

As to pimpimg the guest fee is not. I am no fan of the Del Rey but none of their rules reflect employment, Basically they charge for a non registered room guest and thier banning policy is for poor behavior by a guest.

BKTUNA/BOYD
I am never going home

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BKTUNA/Boyd
I am never going home

If you are a registered guest at the HDR and a male friend, not gay, stops by the hotel and you invite him up to your room is their a guest fee?

If not I think their policy of "they charge for a non registered room guest" is kind of a shaky defense against a pimping charge.

Basically your policy has to be you charge everyone or you charge no one.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I totally agree with ID on this!!! A double standard would not hold up in even the CR courts

Secondly as I stated in my previous post : "This is CR and the laws can, and are interpreted anyway they (the authorities) want to!!!" Hell the legislature passes a new law but before it can go into effect the head of the branch of government directely affected must publish HIS (or HER) interpetion of the new law (and the interpetion can be anything He wants it to be)! THEN the people in the field interpet it anyway they want to!!! And if you do not like the way it is interpeted you can appeal it to the courts who will then (someday) make a ruling based on the way they want the law interpeted. AND NON OF THE INTERPETIONS WILL BE EVEN REMOTELY SIMULAR TO WHAT THE LEGISLATURE ORIGINALLY PASSED!!! But each interpetion will be the "law" and inforced until the next interpetion! And after a few years more than likely the legislature will pass a NEW law; and the process will start all over again!!!!

My point with this is: If the immigration forces or police want to call it pimping, they can and will untill the courts rule one way or another.

As for "their banning policy being for poor behavior by a guest"!! Not totally true my friend!! I was banned, and it was not for poor behavior, nor was I a guest unless my doing walking tours was "poor behavior IN THE REY" Hell when I was banned, I had not been starting the tours at the REY for over 2 months; or maybe it was the police coming into the REY looking for me when I was not even in the country. Hell when they banned me, I had not been in the REY for 4-5 weeks and had not even been in country for a week.
Speaking of the police and them looking for me in relation to my comments in my previous post about why I never charged for the tours. The word I got from reliable sources was that the police and chanel 7 had wanted to catch me going into a MP with a bunch of gringos and plans were to charge me with pimping even though I NEVER charged for the tours. As I said, the laws passed by the legislature mean nothing; only thing that counts is what the authority involved at the moment wants it (the law) to be!! ANY QUESTION AS TO WHY I NO LONGER DO THE TOURS????????

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

You are correct, sir. I just put that little parenthetical bit in there to avoid the inevitable chorus of guys saying how they saw some prostitute drive up to the Rey in a Mercedes. The ones who do well are a tiny minority, absolutely.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis