Argentina bans classified ads offering sex
BUENOS AIRES – Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed a presidential decree Tuesday that bans classified ads that offer sexual services in Argentine newspapers. The decree, number 936, entered the Argentine Official Bulletin and became law on Wednesday.
Like newspapers around the world, many Argentina papers are filled with sex-related advertisements. Kirchner said many of the women featured in these ads are victims of human trafficking and forced into prostitution. She said the move, though, was not an attempt to isolate or embarrass them.
"We will never condemn any woman. In most cases, no one has the chance to choose the life that they live," Kirchner said.
In her announcement at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires, Kirchner was critical of media outlets that garner major revenue from sex ads, accusing them of "double morals and hypocrisy."
"Newspapers can't print headlines demanding that we fight human trafficking, while their back pages present ads that humiliate women," said Kirchner.
A new government agency will be created to monitor classified ads, but it is not clear yet what consequences, if any, newspapers will face if they violate the new law.