Baja prostitution on the increase this summer

The warm weather and improved tourist climate have reportedly attracted prostitutes to Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tijuana, according to a recent report in Tijuana’s daily Frontera.

The three cities, coastal and vacation-oriented, represent the axis of operations for many of the women, who, if not striking it rich in one location, will reputedly board a bus and try the other two cities.

Dr. Mario Esteban Minor Sánchez, the man in charge of the office of municipal medical services in Rosarito, has a list of 400 sexoservidoras, of which only 60 are currently active and who are subject to monthly health exams as a public health measure.

Besides the usual bars, dance halls, and pool parlors available to such workers, the doctor is concerned about a growing trend toward the operation of clandestine brothels, or casas de citas (house of appointments), in private homes. He says such circumstances are difficult to prove, as the servadoras are quick to react to raids and rumors of raids.

However, the women who do make themselves available to the public are subject to surprise inspections once or twice a month, whereupon they must produce their tarjeta sanitaria (health card) or be subject to arrest, fines, and other penalties.

Minor Sánchez said that during the summer months the number of working women doubles because of the reopening of venues for them to work in during the tourist season. He added that, so far, no cases of STDs have been detected in women who have their health card up to date and who continue their monthly examinations.

He also stated that, up to the present, no males have applied for the card. Minor Sánchez’s main concern is that the sexoservadoras who operate in TJ, Rosarito, and Ensenada will neglect to fulfill their health-exam obligations as they move about the region.