Sex workers in Belo Horizonte ( Brazil) signed up for English classes ahead of World Cup 2014

The official countdown to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil began on Wednesday, June 12. Stadiums are being revamped, public transport is being tweaked, businesses are gearing up and prostitutes are taking free English classes. Yes, you read that correctly.In Belo Horizonte, one of the 17 host cities for the event which is expected to draw about 600,000 international visitors, citizens working in one of the world’s oldest professions are learning a very specialized kind of English. Prostitution is legal in Brazil and the sex trade is expecting a healthy boost in business during the2014 World Cup. Large sporting events are often a magnet for sexual tourism and trafficking, and Brazil’s cities may be particularly vulnerable — in part because prostitution is legal, and the country has long been considered a popular erotic destination for those seeking sexual experiences abroad. In preparation, the Minas Gerais State Association of Prostitutes in Belo Horizonte is offering free English classes to help the city’s prostitutes make the most out of the onslaught of potential new clients. The association’s president, Cida Vieira, says the goal is to enable sex trade workers to better communicate with customers. “English will be very important to communicate with clients during the Cup,” Vieira said. “They’ll have to learn how to work out financial deals and also use a specialized vocabulary with sensual words and fetishes.”There are over 80,000 prostitutes in Belo Horizonte and approximately 4,000 are association members. But not everyone is happy about it, and the Brazilian government has come under recent fire, as all eyes begin to focus on the host country of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.   Source (huffingtonpost.com)