Galaxy

11 Jan 2017

Inside the retirement home for sex workers after escaping years of violence and economic insecurity

02:20:00    No comments

These are some of the intimate portraits captured by a French photographer who spent nearly a decade documenting the lives of former sex workers.
The snaps were taken at a government-run retirement shelter for elderly women who have escaped prostitution and the violence and exploitation that comes with it.
Benedicte Desrus photographed women aged 55 and older at Casa Xochiquetzal in Mexico City as part of an eight-year project.
The home provides safety and dignity for some of the capital's most vulnerable residents, who spent nearly their entire adult lives on the streets and were constantly at risk of danger.
Casa Xochiquetzal is located in a bustling, run-down neighbourhood near Mexico City's historic city centre, Ms Ramos wrote.
The 18th century brick building was once home to a boxing museum and now stands out as a "sober contrast to the surrounding visual chaos", she added.
Spacious chambers that provide shelter for the women open onto a serene courtyard.
They have walked away from their past lives, although Ms Ramos noted that some still work in the sex trade.
Ms Ramos wrote: "They have come to live in the permanent shelter after years of working in by-the-hour fleabag motels and then - as youthful allure faded - sleeping on the streets.
For many residents, the house offers their first respite from years of violence, exploitation and economic insecurity.
Former sex worker Carmen Munoz opened Casa Xochiquetzal after she saw several prostitutes sleeping under filthy plastic tarps and cluttered market stalls.
After a 20 year fight she finally convinced the government to open the shelter, and it has now helped nearly 300 women.
In 2006 the first residents moved in after Mexico City provided the building and funding to cover costs.
It now operates on public donations and funds raised by a charity created by female artists and writers.

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US President elect Donald Trump refute allegations claiming he ordered sex workers for a party while in Russia

01:01:00    No comments

Donald Trump has denied allegations one of which claim he ordered sex workers for a party while in Russia. The 70-year-old president-elect took to Twitter to blast media after unverified reports surfaced saying the Kremlin had damaging intel on him that also included the "Golden Showers" party scandal.
"FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!" Trump wrote in all-capital letters in the Tuesday, January 10 post. "BuzzFeed Runs Unverifiable Trump-Russia Claims #FakeNews," he later tweeted, slamming BuzzFeed, the site which published a 35-page document containing the explosive allegations.
Trump even retweeted a post by Michael Cohen, an executive vice president of Trump Organization who is also his special counsel, to back up his denial. Along with a photo of his passport, Cohen wrote, "I have never been to Prague in my life," adding the hashtag, "#fakenews."

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