Mexican Border City Tries to Make Prostitution Safer
Elliot Spagat
Associated Press Writer
Sep 15, 2005
ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBYJ4KCNDE.html  
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) - Tijuana has decided to regulate prostitution by legally requiring prostitutes to pass monthly exams to detect sexually transmitted diseases and forcing brothel owners to clean up their act, an effort to make prostitution safer.
The new regulations amount to an open, official acknowledgment of what has long been a fact of life in this Mexican border city. Before, the few rules that existed were unwritten, which authorities say made them difficult to enforce. They included requiring prostitutes to submit to regular health exams, including three AIDS tests a year.

Tijuana's prostitutes have beckoned tourists since the turn of the century, spreading in recent years from the red light district known as "La Coahuila" - a few square blocks near the main tourist drag, Avenida Revolucion - to other pockets of the city of 1.2 million that borders San Diego.

In La Coahuila, men beckon tourists to massage parlors where women parade in a waiting room. About six young women dressed as schoolgirls mingle with officers in front of a police station, whispering to potential customers.

Customers strolling through La Coahuila earlier this week welcomed the new rules, but all refused to give their names.

Prostitutes who stopped in a government-run health clinic this week didn't seem too concerned about the requirements. They said get checkups anyway, to ensure they are healthy.

"It's a form of insurance," said Claudia Zarate, 18, who arrived from the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz four days earlier and plans to work in the street. Back home, she was earning about US$25 (euro20) a week in a clothing factory.

Marisa Jimenez, 50, said she easily earns US$600 (euro490) a night at Adelita bar down the street.

"Money is like a drug," she said.

The new rules, which took effect last month, call for the city to issue electronic cards to replace pink, pocket-sized health history books given to Tijuana's 4,700 registered prostitutes.

Inspectors will swipe the cards through hand-held devices to ensure women pass monthly health exams. The city says it expects to begin issuing the cards later this month, although there's no prototype yet. Dr. Manuel Noriega, who runs the government clinic, says brothel owners have agreed to pay part of the cost.

Brothel owners must cover furniture with rubber or plastic, disinfect the surroundings periodically and change sheets regularly. Brothels disguised as massage parlors must be 150 meters (164 yards) from schools and day-care centers and limit hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"We are only recognizing what has long been practiced out in the open," said Councilwoman Martha Montejano, who wrote the regulations that took effect Aug. 12. "The idea is to have more control and promote public health."

Violators will be fined and their permits can be revoked. Bernardo Padilla, director of municipal enforcement, said he closed 18 massage parlors in the last month - after the new rules took effect. But he acknowledges that the owners may simply move their business elsewhere.

Skeptics say the new rules, modeled after those in the Mexican cities of Monterrey and Acapulco, will change little.

"All it does is recognize the status quo," said Victor Clark Alfaro, director of the Binational Center for Human Rights in Tijuana.

It also remains to be seen whether the new rules will be strongly enforced.

Visits to the clinic are down nearly 50 percent this year because fewer inspectors are asking prostitutes for health booklets, said Dr. Manuel Noriega, the clinic administrator.

The health department had four inspectors before, but the jobs were eliminated last year because they were found to be corrupt. City officials say other regulators have been assigned to enforcing the new rules.

An effort to improve Tijuana's image last year by forcing streetwalkers inside bars and hotels was soon abandoned when hundreds of prostitutes marched across town and threatened to strip in front of City Hall.

Dr. Leticia Chavez, one of the clinic's three doctors, said she sees about 10 to 15 cases of gonorrhea a month. So far this year, there have been only a few cases or syphilis and no cases of AIDS.

Prostitution should be legalized in the other 47 lower states that it isn't.  

It's no worse that alcohol consumption or gambling.  You could argue against that point, but you'd be wrong.  

Yeah, they need to legalize that shit. but too many municipalities are making huge money doing stings.

Which state allows legal prostitution, Nevada?

in before the west coast Marines and sailors start telling stories.

My solution to prostitution: Don't charge for the sex, but charge for the condom. Nothing illegal there, right?

I've always said it should be legal. The Gov't (state & federal) could tax the shit out of it, like gasoline, and regulate it for health issues. Say goodbye to the deficit !!

It's legal in all of the States.  They call it "marriage"!  And the cost increases as the quality decreases with time.

Quoted: It's legal in all of the States.  They call it "marriage"!  And the cost increases as the quality decreases with time.

Kinda like a car??  The longer you have it, the more it costs you. All the while, it devalues!

Quoted: My solution to prostitution: Don't charge for the sex, but charge for the condom. Nothing illegal there, right?

Condoms for sale, free onsite testing provided?

Quoted: I've always said it should be legal. The Gov't (state & federal) could tax the shit out of it, like gasoline, and regulate it for health issues. Say goodbye to the deficit !!

You have no understanding of how our legislature treats money.

Quoted: Which state allows legal prostitution, Nevada?

Yup, in brothels, not on the street. Reno, for instance,  regularly conducts street sting operations with much success.

Quoted: My solution to prostitution: Don't charge for the sex, but charge for the condom. Nothing illegal there, right?

That might work in your mind,  but it won't work in a courtroom

Quoted: Quoted: My solution to prostitution: Don't charge for the sex, but charge for the condom. Nothing illegal there, right? That might work in your mind,  but it won't work in a courtroom

Funny, a lot of things work in my head that never work in real life.

Did anyone else notice the good "doctor's" name?  And all along we thought he was in jail in Florida!

Dr. Leticia Chavez, one of the clinic's three doctors, said she sees about 10 to 15 cases of gonorrhea a month. So far this year, there have been only a few cases or syphilis and no cases of AIDS.

Wow, NO cases of aids among Tijuana prostitutes this year, talk about safe sex

Road trip!!  

Go to El Paso with a CB radio, and you will hear nothing but people advertising cheaps trips to Mexico, straight to the whorehouses

Quoted: Inspectors will swipe the cards through hand-held devices to ensure women pass monthly health exams. The city says it expects to begin issuing the cards later this month, although there's no prototype yet. Dr. Manuel Noriega, who runs the government clinic, says brothel owners have agreed to pay part of the cost. .