Sosua police action against working girls...

[gmiller261]

Mister Nyc

I have to agree with that tack.

I find the ubiquitous ?basura?, that permeates the majority of the environment, much uglier than the prostitution.

And if something was to keep me from leaving the AI that would be it. I guess that?s why it exists.

 

[Malibook]

... but the truth is quite simple: our guests eat and drink for free at my resort -- it's an expense for me to have them consume on-site. I would therefore much prefer they go elsewhere to dine, drink and party

The truth as you see it may appear quite simple but the reality is that all-inclusive means prepaid, not free.
Perhaps you would also prefer that the customers sleep elsewhere to save on the free laundry service that is provided at the resort.

As for the prostitution problem, I have been to Sosua several times and never felt that it was overrun with prostitutes.
The few that I did notice were not harassing anybody.
They were simply minding their own business which is more than can be said for numerous nosey idiots.

If I notice a sight that is not so pleasant to me, I will simply mind my own business and make it a point not to look.
I sure as hell don't freely choose to stare at it and then go off and whine about it.

 

[Jimmydr]

Every time I go I see more and more of "us" on the streets of Sosua than the "couple" type or "families". I blame 90% of the prostitution trade on these business owners who pay next to nothing to there employees and who clearly have no interest in the local people and rather focus on the money making end of it... there right I guess, but there business decisions do have consequences. What's a chica to do? Work 9-5 Monday thru Saturday and make 3,000-4,000 pesos a month while there electric bill and rent alone is close to or more than 5,000 pesos? There is food, transportation, and then some left to pay for every month.

I have little to no respect for most of the business owners down there. Most of them don't do a damn thing to improve the economic and/or social crisis at hand.

Just my 2 pesos worth...

The families pay the resorts and the resorts send 75% of the money back to their home country. The "us" spend all our money in the towns.

 

[Robert]

The families pay the resorts and the resorts send 75% of the money back to their home country. The "us" spend all our money in the towns.

That's hitting the nail on the head!

The resorts have helped create the current mess and they will need to dig deep and for a long period of time to help resolve the mess. Their business practices, lack of community involvement and their ignorance to "what's happening" is biting them back.

What we are seeing right now is a knee jerk reaction and a few people flexing their business muscles. Change needs to come from the private sector, not the government. It needs to be coordinated and planned, this is something that's lacking right now.

 

[gmiller261]

Yes

Robert,

'AI' did create the mess by separating themselves from the country they rape.

I agree.

But Malibook,

Perhaps you would also prefer that the customers sleep elsewhere to save on the free laundry service that is provided at the resort.

That too funny.

SosuaJoe's food statement was ridicules, thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Bartolomeo67]

There was much more prostitution in 1995/96, Sosua was booming, tourists came mostly from europe, not many US/Canada vistors. Then came the Leonel goverment for the first time and shutted down most of the bars and clubs. Someone renember Oxy?, Copacabana? .... And yes, there was much more prostitution in town and at the beach these days. What you see now is nothing compared whith 1995/96/97...

Absolutely correct. I have got great memories of Copacabana and Oxy2.
When I first came to the DR in '95, I choose Sosua because the touroperator's catalogue said 'it was the place where also dominicans come on holiday' (they do but only on Sunday at the beach). Since I wanted to practice my dancing skills, I figured that was the place to be. Man did I get a shock when I first went down Pedro Clisante street at night. Prostitution was all over the place in the days of Marinero, Moby Dick, Merengue Club.
And indeed there were more tourists.
Bartolomeo

 

[Bartolomeo67]

What sort of tourism you want, Sosua Joe?

Sosua Joe:
'There's been a large movement on the part of the business community to finally get something done with regards to the prostitution issue in Sosua and Cabarete.
Basically, it comes down to deciding what sort of a tourist destination we want for Sosua and then taking the steps necessary to move in that direction. Aside from the few bars who live off prostitution, in whose interest is it to have such an open, flagrant prostitution business as recently existed in Sosua?'
I am very interested to hear what the 'business community' would like to make of Sosua as a tourist destination, and see how (un)realistic their ideas and wishes are. We could all have a great laugh out of it.
I'm afraid I have heard this all before. I remember 10 years ago, the german newspaper of the large german community also started a movement for a new and better Sosua. The excesses of that period are gone but nothing much has changed.
Sosua Joe:
'More importantly, the reputation that Sosua has (and Cabarete will have if they're not careful) is extremely damaging to the economy. It cheapens the destination, therefore driving down prices and occupancy.'
Sosua is and has been the cheapest AI destination on the North Coast for over 15 years. Get real! I don't even think the touroperators would want a more upmarket AI Sosua. They have to cater to many audiences. That's why Sosua has a crowd of more young people with a habit of drinking and wild nightlife, and some not so well off vacationers who just take the cheapest AI because 'it's the DR and it's All Inclusive, why pay more'. Playa Dorada surely has a different mix of customers.
Las Terrenas also has its share of prostitutes but both restaurant and hotel prices are higher than in Sosua. It can not all be blamed on the girls.
Sosua Joe:'There was a time when there were many, many more hotels in town than there are now, and all of them full to the rafters. You couldn't throw a rock in this town without hitting a nightclub, and they were all rocking.'
And there was more prostitution as well in the mid '90s. Explain that.
Sosua Joe:
'It is also well-known that sex tourism is an extremely cheap tourism (even relatively speaking). Why would we cater to that when we can have a much more lucritive and abundant market?'
Well, they are certainly more 'destination loyal' than other vacationers.
Sosua Joe:'No one is saying that prostitution can be eliminated, but if we don't get serious about controlling it, we won't have much of a town left. '
My observation of the past couple of years is that as tourism has picked up again after 9/11, more tourists are coming back to Sosua, a lot of Sosua businesses are being remodelled and bringing new life to the town and as a result more prostitutes find there way to Sosua again. Action to control it now is certainly in it's place to make sure it doesn't get out of hand as 10 years ago.
Bartolomeo

 

[rellosk]

"coordinated and planned"

In the DR? You're joking.

 

[Gringoloco]

Supreme Court: Prostitution is legal

Supreme Court: Prostitution is legal
The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Subero Isa said yesterday that prostitution is legal in the Dominican Republic. He said: "In our country, prostitution is still not an illegal act, but an act that is tolerated by society."
He said that state prosecutors that closed massage centers did so upon finding other elements that were in violation of the laws, such as illegal drugs, as reported in Diario Libre.

 

[DominicanScotty]

Prostitution is NOT illegal. Harrasment and pick pocketing is illegal. If the police wanted they could take out the bad girls, and leave the rest alone.
I have my ideas about why the situation is almost the opposite.

Tor,

Although prostitution is openly tolerated it is still illegal. The numbers of "working girls" swell causing a bad ratio of girls to guys in the clubs and on the streets. If you see girls hanging out in the streets late at night they should be avoided at all costs. Women that are not allowed in clubs or bars have a bad reputation whether it is because they are thieves or worse (if you know what I mean). When the ratio gets out of hand naturally tourists then become targets for pick pockets and outright robberies. Anyone that has lived here for a long time knows that this is a natural occurance and it will go away.

Rubio

 

[ricktoronto]

What we are seeing right now is a knee jerk reaction .

With an emphasis on the jerk part for Elmer Gantry down there.

Jimmydr is right with the fearmongering typical of the tour operators inside the AI's so the AI tourists never leave to the town, they are hardly being harmed, and the small hoteliers, restauranteurs and the like get it is the heinie since people in search of the oldest (and apparently legal) profession won't go there.

And they never complained when they were there.

 

[d life]

Tor,

Although prostitution is openly tolerated it is still illegal.
Rubio

The supreme court did not say that it was legal neither did they say that it was illegal. The issue has not yet been decided on. They said that it is something that is accepted by the dominican spciety. I guess that it is time for them to decide its legality.
But based on what has just happened in SD I believe that it is wrong when one person tries to impose his/ her personal conviction on the masses. For a goverment to try to put a ban on prostitution without resolving the root cause of prostitution is hypocricy.
Now on the other hand some of these women do this as a means of taking care of their families and their children. Not because they want to but because they have to. They are compelled by situation to do this. To cut this off without providing and alternate way for them to support their families is not helping the issue. Jobs have not improved and even if it has a little the wages that are being paid are deplorable.
I do not believe that prostitution is something that one can tackle in one generation. With the rate of children out of school, the rate of joblessness among women of age to work, the ever increasing level of poverty with the ever increasing level of inflation the stage has been set. And not just set but well set for prostitution.
What I believe that the goverment should do is to cut the problem at the root by ensureing the the kids get educated. They are the next in line to join the trade and to ensure that there is a viable alternative to the life style so that whoever goes out prostituting will do so not because they have to but because they want to. You will not see a well educated dominican girl out on the streets practicing the trade.
Closing these places down makes it worse as the girls will just take to the streets and the beaches. They have to do a lot more to resolve this issue if they want it resolved. They almost have to change the culture. Good luck to them.

 

[DominicanScotty]

The supreme court did not say that it was legal neither did they say that it was illegal. The issue has not yet been decided on. They said that it is something that is accepted by the dominican spciety. I guess that it is time for them to decide its legality.
But based on what has just happened in SD I believe that it is wrong when one person tries to impose his/ her personal conviction on the masses. For a goverment to try to put a ban on prostitution without resolving the root cause of prostitution is hypocricy.
Now on the other hand some of these women do this as a means of taking care of their families and their children. Not because they want to but because they have to. They are compelled by situation to do this. To cut this off without providing and alternate way for them to support their families is not helping the issue. Jobs have not improved and even if it has a little the wages that are being paid are deplorable.
I do not believe that prostitution is something that one can tackle in one generation. With the rate of children out of school, the rate of joblessness among women of age to work, the ever increasing level of poverty with the ever increasing level of inflation the stage has been set. And not just set but well set for prostitution.
What I believe that the goverment should do is to cut the problem at the root by ensureing the the kids get educated. They are the next in line to join the trade and to ensure that there is a viable alternative to the life style so that whoever goes out prostituting will do so not because they have to but because they want to. You will not see a well educated dominican girl out on the streets practicing the trade.
Closing these places down makes it worse as the girls will just take to the streets and the beaches. They have to do a lot more to resolve this issue if they want it resolved. They almost have to change the culture. Good luck to them.[/QUOTE


Just got off the phone with my lawyer and yes much to my surprise prostitution (as long as it is NOT underage) is still considered legal. There is legislation currently underway to possibly consider it illegal.

 

[Eddy]

Supreme Court: Prostitution is legal
The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Subero Isa said yesterday that prostitution is legal in the Dominican Republic. He said: "In our country, prostitution is still not an illegal act, but an act that is tolerated by society."
He said that state prosecutors that closed massage centers did so upon finding other elements that were in violation of the laws, such as illegal drugs, as reported in Diario Libre.

I know it was reported that way but read it again. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

 

[Berzin]

The businesspeople of Sosua have no reason to complain. They are there to make money and it is the age-old problem of colonialism and taking advantage of a poor country to maximize their own profits.

This reminds of a Holiday Inn that hired illegal immigrants to work in Minnesota for long hours and bad pay. When the staff tried to unionize their employers reported them to INS and then patted themselves on the back for being good citizens for turning them in.

Hookers are an economic force that the AIs cannot make money on, so they try to organize to get the police to act on their behalf and then try to disguise it as a quality of life issue. How come they don't mind all of the Sanky Panky from those obnoxious animation team members? Because this is how these businesses get SOME of their customers coming back to the same AIs!!!

I do more for some of these poor girls than these business owners. I pay them a decent wage, they can buy their food for the week and I treat them like QUEENS. When a friend of mine told me she was going t work as a maid for $4,000 pesos a month, I told her to drop it-this was when the peso was 40-to-1 to the dollar. Do the math and figure out how pathetic that is. I sent her the money(more, in fact than what she would have made working in the hotel), paid for her school and instead of dropping out she graduated and hopefully will be going to college.

One less girl we have to worry about going into the life of prostitution. And that's how you do it. You HELP people so that they can help themselves. What we need to do now is have a crackdown on all AI animation teams. Get THAT trash off the streets.

 

[DominicanScotty]

I know it was reported that way but read it again. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

Eddie,

I spoke with Rafa yesterday about this. He told me that there is presently a movement in the courts to make prostitution illegal. However, just like many things it might take many years and possibly many years more to actually enforce this law if it in fact ever becomes a law. Imagine all of the cabanas and carwashes being knocked down and turned into what???

Rubio

 

[Eddy]

Eddie,

I spoke with Rafa yesterday about this. He told me that there is presently a movement in the courts to make prostitution illegal. However, just like many things it might take many years and possibly many years more to actually enforce this law if it in fact ever becomes a law. Imagine all of the cabanas and carwashes being knocked down and turned into what???

Rubio

Cabanas are not usually used for your mainline prostitution. They are located mostly out of town and people need a car to get to them. They are usually used by Dominicans with $$$ to take their secretary or mistresses. Your usual tourist goes to some sleesy pension or low class hotel. Basically it wouln't harm the cabana trade. As for the car washes, they have the uglies hookers in town. Any tourist that picks up something there is sick. For me car washes are just noisy bars. If they were to close, no big deal.

 

[DominicanScotty]

Cabanas are not usually used for your mainline prostitution. They are located mostly out of town and people need a car to get to them. They are usually used by Dominicans with $$$ to take their secretary or mistresses. Your usual tourist goes to some sleesy pension or low class hotel. Basically it wouln't harm the cabana trade. As for the car washes, they have the uglies hookers in town. Any tourist that picks up something there is sick. For me car washes are just noisy bars. If they were to close, no big deal.

Correct on all counts Eduardo!!!!

 

[Escott]

Cabanas are not usually used for your mainline prostitution. They are located mostly out of town and people need a car to get to them. They are usually used by Dominicans with $$$ to take their secretary or mistresses. Your usual tourist goes to some sleesy pension or low class hotel. Basically it wouln't harm the cabana trade. As for the car washes, they have the uglies hookers in town. Any tourist that picks up something there is sick. For me car washes are just noisy bars. If they were to close, no big deal.

I also understand that young Dominicans that live at home with no ability for privacy will use the Cabanas. I don't know how wealthy they are but it is worth saving up your money for

 

[Dragonfly32837]

I also understand that young Dominicans that live at home with no ability for privacy will use the Cabanas. I don't know how wealthy they are but it is worth saving up your money for

This is also true. All of my friends that go to University live with their parents and go to caba?as whenever they want to get their groove on.