Child prostitution rampant on Brazilian highways

Rio de Janeiro, Nov 4 : At least 1,819 places on Brazilian highways have been identified by the police where minor girls and teens offer sex to truck drivers, says a new report.

The report based on a police study added Tuesday that every 26.7 km stretch along these highways have spots where minors offer sex for as little as 2 reais ($1.10).

A map prepared with the help of the International Labour Organisation shows the likely places for child prostitution. It includes all the petrol pumps, bars, restaurants and night spots along the highways. Many minors have been caught offering sex at these spots, the report said.

The police are now planning to use this study towards increasing their oversight, but the results will not be made public, according to the report.

"We believed that identifying the spots would stop crimes from being committed, but we found that it only causes a migration to other places," the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Federal Highway Police in Sao Paulo, Waldiwilson dos Santos, said.

"Now we're going to maintain secrecy so as not to undermine our operations," he said.

--IANS