Campo Alegre, also known as Le Mirage, was a large open-air brothel in Curaçao. It has been operated since the 1940s. Originally an army encampment, it is located off Seru Fortunaweg near Curaçao International Airport.[1] It was the largest legal brothel in the Caribbean.[3] Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, permits the business of prostitution within its territory within strict regulation. In June 2020, Campo Alegre closed.[4] The facilities are auctioned in June 2022. Within stricter legal rules, prostitution can be resumed.[5]
Le Mirage | |
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| Address | Seru Fortunaweg Curaçao[1] |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 12°10′41″N 68°56′29″W / 12.17806°N 68.94139°W |
| Opened | 30 May 1949[2] |
| Closed | June 2020 |
| Website | |
| campoalegresex | |
History
editIn the 1920s, oil refineries were opened on the island. Women migrated to the island to service the needs of the oil workers and sailors from the tankers.[3] In the 1930s & 1940s, Venezuelan, Colombian and Dominican prostitutes operated in the town centre.[2] The arrival of the Dutch and American navies to guard the island in the 1940s increased the demand for prostitutes.[3] The government banned prostitution from the town centre, but this was unenforceable.[2]
The governor appointed a commission that included the police, the public health department and the clergy with a view to solving the prostitution problem. They concluded that the best alternative was to concentrate prostitution in one location away from the town centre,[2] The plan was for a complex of appeasements where prostitutes could work independently.[2] On May 30, 1949, the complex named Campo Alegre (also called Le Mirage) was opened.[2][3][6] It had the approval of the Colonial Governor with the support of the Queen of the Netherlands.[7] Initially sex workers were recruited from Cuba and Venezuela.[7]
Woman are issued with a 3-month visa to work in the brothel. Between the late 1940s to the mid-1990s, half of the prostitutes returned for further 3 months' work.[3] Between 1949 and 1996, an estimated 25,000 sex workers have been employed in the establishment.[7] In March 2020, Campo Alegre closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy. The 150 sex workers and 84 other employees are out on the street.[4] As of 2023 the property was bought be the government of Curacao. To big surprise of the local population. It is thought it will be sold again in 2 years to people who did not pass the safety check.
Current operation
editAlthough originally run by the government, the establishment is now privately run to government regulations.[8]
Housed in an ex-army barracks, it has a capacity to house 300 sex workers, although normally there are about 150 women working there.[8] Only foreign prostitutes are allowed to work there,[3] mainly from Colombia and the Dominican Republic.[8] The women work on a three-month visa.[8] Regular health checks are carried out and the women have to carry a health certificate ("pink card").[3] The use of condoms is mandatory.[8]
An admission charge is levied on entry. Clients negotiate a price with the sex workers, who work independently.[8] Within the facility, which is billed as a "Gentleman's Club", is a bar, billiard tables and slot machines. In the evenings, the women put on pole dancing and striptease shows.[8] Tuesday was Ladies' night, however unlike most ladies' nights, the price of admission doubled on Tuesday.[1]
Many of the customers are sailors from the ships anchored in the deep-water harbour.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Curacao Adult entertainment". In your pocket. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "About Campo". Campo Alegre. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kempadoo, K, Sun, Sex, and Gold: Tourism and Sex Work in the Caribbean
- ^ a b "Campo Alegre is bankrupt". Curaçao Chronicle. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ auction
- ^ "Sex Tourism And Trafficking In The Dutch Caribbean". Curacao Chronicle. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "Curaçao Opens Campo Alegre Brothel". NSWP. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Liberman, Si (2 August 2009). "Curacao's X-Rated Resort". Writes - The Official Magazine of IFWTWA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
External links
edit- Campo Alegre website - old website, not mentioning that it is currently closed
