Puerto Vallarta seeks to relocate sex workers in the city

The municipal government of Puerto Vallarta is looking for a place to be able to relocate the sex workers who were removed from the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood.

Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez pointed out that the main thing is to ensure the well-being and health of the people who are engaged in this activity. “We are inviting them to not be there on the street. We are going to find a strategic place so that they can be safe,” said the mayor of Vallarta.

Michel Rodríguez invited them not to continue in this activity. "For the good of themselves, as a matter of avoiding a possible disease."

In response to complaints of residents in the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood, who for years asked to improve the image of their neighborhood, last weekend, through a governmental joint operation, the city relocated sex workers who were in the area, as well as the inspection of commercial establishments.

While the mayor claims the 'relocation' of sex workers, which is legal in Mexico, is about the health of sex workers, however, the driving motivation is the visual reputation of the city within the tourist zone of Puerto Vallarta, and 5 de Diciembre is home to a large ex-pat community.

Sex workers in Mexico have grown in numbers since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.