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Brazilian prostitutes keen to "learn the lingo" for 2014 World Cup

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SAO PAULO | Tue Jan 8, 2013 5:51pm EST

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte are signing up in droves for free language classes in order to be ready for a barrage of foreign visitors to the tropical country during the 2014 soccer World Cup.

The women join many others in Brazilian society, from politicians to construction workers, who are racing the clock to prepare 12 host cities throughout the nation for the international soccer championship.

"When all this chatter about being ready for the World Cup started last year, we decided the women needed to be prepared for it too," Cida Vieira, president of the Minas Gerais state Association of Prostitutes, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The group has solicited volunteers to teach English, Spanish and even Portuguese, she said, explaining that some of the city's sex workers are immigrants who needed to learn Brazil's primary language.

Vieira said demand for the classes could surpass the 300 women who originally expressed interest, with calls coming in from as far away as Sao Paulo, about 509 km (316 miles) from Belo Horizonte.

"This is important for the dignity of the work, the women need to be able to negotiate a fair price and defend themselves," she said.

(Reporting by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Paul Simao)

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Comments (2)
Bobo_9 wrote:
So the prostitutes need to learn other languages because “This is important for the dignity of the work, the women need to be able to negotiate a fair price and defend themselves”.
Dignity of being a prostitute ?? Not sure I follow that comment. Seems like deciding to be a prostitute means you’ve given up on trying to have any dignity.

Jan 09, 2013 8:47am EST  --  Report as abuse
SkepticReader wrote:
Whereas calling yourself “Bobo” and posting clueless holier-than-thou comments on Reuters exemplifies the very essence of “dignity”.

Jan 11, 2013 5:42pm EST  --  Report as abuse
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