Campo Alegre, also known as Le Mirage, was a large open-air

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

. It has been operated since the 1940s. Originally an army encampment, it is located off Seru Fortunaweg near Curaçao International Airport. It was the largest legal brothel in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

.Kempadoo, K
Sun, Sex, and Gold: Tourism and Sex Work in the Caribbean
/ref> Curaçao, a

constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

, permits the business of

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

within its territory within strict regulation. In June 2020, Campo Alegre closed. The facilities are auctioned in June 2022. Within stricter legal rules, prostitution can be resumed.auction
/ref>

History

In 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. In the 1930s & 1940s, Venezuelan, Colombian and Dominican prostitutes operated in the town centre. The arrival of the Dutch and American navies to guard the island in the 1940s increased the demand for prostitutes. The government banned prostitution from the town centre, but this was unenforceable. 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, The plan was for a complex of appeasements where prostitutes could work independently. On May 30, 1949, the complex named Campo Alegre (also called Le Mirage) was opened. It had the approval of the Colonial Governor with the support of the Queen of the Netherlands. Initially sex workers were recruited from Cuba and Venezuela. 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. Between 1949 and 1996, an estimated 25,000 sex workers have been employed in the establishment. In March 2020, Campo Alegre closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the company filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. The 150 sex workers and 84 other employees are out on the street.

Current operation

Although originally run by the government, the establishment is now privately run to government regulations. Housed in an ex-army barracks, it has a capacity to house 300 sex workers, although normally there are about 150 women working there. Only foreign prostitutes are allowed to work there, mainly from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and the Dominican Republic. The women work on a three-month visa. Regular health checks are carried out and the women have to carry a health certificate ("pink card"). The use of condoms is mandatory. An admission charge is levied on entry. Clients negotiate a price with the sex workers, who work independently. 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 Pole dance combines dance and acrobatics centered on a vertical pole. This performance art form takes place not only in gentleman's clubs as erotic dance, but also as a mainstream form of fitness, practiced in gyms and dedicated dance studios ...

and

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "ex ...

shows. Tuesday was

Ladies' night A ladies' night is a promotional event, often at a bar or nightclub, where female patrons pay less than male patrons for the cover charge or drinks. In the United States, state courts in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have rule ...

, however unlike most ladies' nights, the price of admission doubled on Tuesday. Many of the customers are sailors from the ships anchored in the deep-water harbour.

References

External links

Campo Alegre website
- old website, not mentioning that it is currently closed {{Commons category, Campo Alegre (Curaçao) Brothels in the Dutch Caribbean Female prostitution Buildings and structures in Willemstad 1949 establishments in Curaçao 20th-century architecture in the Netherlands

History

Current operation

See also

References

External links