Sex Work and Human Costs in the Amazon’s Illegal Gold Mines

Dayane Leite did not intend to become a sex worker. However, when she was 17, her husband passed away from a heart attack, leaving her unable to cover funeral expenses. Her hometown, Itaituba, located in Brazil’s northern Para state, serves as a central hub for the nation’s illicit gold-mining operations. A friend proposed that she could earn the necessary funds by engaging in sex work with miners in the remote Amazon region. Dayane states, “Going to the mines is a roll of the dice.” She adds, “The women are seriously humiliated there. They may be slapped in the face and yelled at.” Recounting an incident, she said, “I was sleeping in my bedroom and a guy jumped through the window and put a gun to my head. And if they pay, they want to own the women.” Dayane managed to secure the money needed for the funeral. At 18, she gave birth to her first child. Over the past 16 years, similar to numerous other women in Itaituba, she has regularly gone back to the mines, undertaking various roles including cook, washerwoman, barmaid, and sex worker. Currently, she is responsible for supporting a family of seven. Natalia Cavalcante, who started working as a sex worker in a distant mining settlement at 24, commented, “I’m not going to say that all the women in the city do it, but a fair share of them do sex work. So it’s kind of normal. We don’t really care.” Four years subsequent to this, she married a bar owner and took on the role of madam at a brothel. She recently ceased this occupation to care for her nieces in the city. Conditions in the rainforest’s mining villages are severe; most are composed solely of a dirt track, saloon bars, and a church. Miners, however, reside in even more isolated locations, inhabiting shacks constructed from wood and canvas, amidst snakes and jaguars, and experiencing complete darkness once power generators are turned off. Female cooks are required to live in these camps with the male miners. Natalia further noted that miners arrive in the village when they have discovered gold and possess funds to spend. According to women, these miners occasionally need to be convinced to shower prior to engaging in sexual activity. Operating a brothel is prohibited by Brazilian law. Nevertheless, Natalia stated that she did not collect commission, instead employing bar staff and leasing rooms. Young women would reach out to her seeking employment, and she occasionally provided them with money for their travel, which involved a seven-hour drive from Itaituba. When questioned about any reservations she might have had regarding involving other women in this line of work, she responded: “Sometimes I think: ‘I’ve been through that, and I know it’s not that nice.’ But then I think: ‘The girl has a family, sometimes a child to raise. Many of the girls who go have one or two children.’ So we accept it.” Natalia had accumulated substantial wealth even before her marriage. She currently owns a house in Itaituba, a motorbike, and significant amounts of gold, which she sometimes received as payment for sex, in quantities of two or three grams at a time. Her aspiration is to pursue studies to become either a lawyer or an architect. She mentioned that some women in Itaituba, known as Gold Nugget City, have established their own businesses using the earnings they acquired. However, it carries significant risks for women to enter these violent and unregulated mining settlements. While the environmental damage caused by the mines is widely recognized, the human toll—which the UN identifies as encompassing violence, sexual exploitation, and trafficking—is largely undocumented. A precious metals dealer informed the BBC that gold extracted illegally from these mines is commonly re-designated as originating from a licensed mining co-operative. This occurs before it is exported and processed into items such as jewelry, mobile phone components, or other electronic products. Canada, Switzerland, and the UK represent the three primary purchasers of Brazilian gold. The Instituto Escolhas think tank reports that over 90% of all gold exports to Europe originate from regions affected by illegal mining. Fatalities among women in mining villages are not uncommon. Last year, the deceased body of 26-year-old Raiele Santos was discovered in her living quarters near the Cuiú-Cuiú gold mine, located an 11-hour drive from Itaituba. Her older sister, Railane, stated that a man had offered Raiele money for sex, which she declined. Subsequently, he located her and fatally assaulted her. Railane remarked, “A lot of women die on a daily basis, a lot of women.” She added, “I was born in the mines, I grew up in the mines, and now I’m afraid to live in the mines.” An individual has been apprehended in relation to Raiele’s murder; however, he has not yet faced trial. He refutes all accusations leveled against him. The extent of land occupied by Brazil’s illegal gold mines more than doubled over the decade leading up to 2023, reaching 220,000 hectares—an expanse exceeding the size of Greater London. The number of women employed in this sector, or even the total count of illegal miners, remains unknown. The Brazilian government estimates the latter figure to range from 80,000 to 800,000. Under the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the government has initiated measures to shut down illegal mines and prevent dealers from purchasing their gold output. Nevertheless, elevated gold prices persist in motivating numerous men to seek their fortunes in these operations. Dayane intends to cease working in the mining regions due to the inherent dangers and the physical strain of the arduous conditions. However, she is preparing for what she hopes will be a final journey. Her objective is to accumulate sufficient funds within two or three months to establish a snack bar upon her return, although she acknowledges the possibility of failure. She states that whenever she is by herself, walking in the forest, she worries about her children. She affirms, “I will keep trying, until I can’t any more.” She adds, “Because I think that one day, my children will say: ‘My mum worked so hard. She went through what she went through for us, and she never gave up.’” Additional reporting was provided by Mariana Schreiber, BBC Brasil. The BBC 100 Women documentary, titled Sex for Gold, will be available for viewing on the BBC iPlayer starting Saturday, December 7. Each year, BBC 100 Women recognizes 100 inspiring and influential women globally. To engage, follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram and Facebook, and participate in discussions using #BBC100Women. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.