Is selling sex criminalised?
Sex work is dealt with at the local level in Argentina. There are no national/federal laws against selling sex but a number of associated activities are criminalised at the local level. Amnesty has studied Buenos Aires in depth. In Buenos Aires there are laws against soliciting in "unauthorised places" e.g. 200m from church, school etc.. Advertising for sexual services is also criminalised in print media/newspapers and using flyers in public spaces. Running brothels are criminalised which could potentially criminalise small collectives of sex workers working together. It seems that most provinces in Argentina criminalise activities associated with sex work making it almost impossible to work legally. 19 of the provinces have laws against street work and/or working indoors.
Is organising/managing criminalised?
Organising/managing is criminalised in Argentina both at federal level and local level. In Buenos Aires there are laws against brothel-keeping, promoting/facilitating prostitution (even with consent of sex worker). At the federal level there are also laws against facilitating/promoting and brothel-keeping (Criminal Code). Also at the federal level anti-trafficking laws are used to criminalise organising/managing - the Amnesty research shows that any involvement in organising sex work is seen as trafficking for sexual exploitation in Argentina.
Is there mandatory HIV/STI testing?
No
Is there mandatory registration?
No
Is sex work conflated with trafficking and/or people smuggling?
Yes - anti-trafficking laws make no real distinction between coercive third party arrangements and consensual managing/organising
Is sex work recognised as work?
No
Is sex work decriminalised with limited regulation?
No
Sources/further reading
https://panampost.com/adam-dubove/2015/12/04/argentinean-sex-workers-de…;
Amnesty research on sex work in Buenos Aires, Argentina, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr13/4042/2016/en/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/beyondslavery/sws/georgina-orellano/creat…
Sexual Rights Initiative Database, available at https://sexualrightsdatabase.org/page/welcome
Codigo Penal Argentina - http://www.justiniano.com/codigos_juridicos/codigo_penal.htm
Contact
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