It also obliges the government to advise sex workers of their rights and duties, support them against exploitation and provide sexual health information.
Sex works must enrol on the National Registry, this demands an initial and periodical health checks focus in the prevention, detection and treatments of sexually transmitted diseases.
[citation needed] Prostitution must be performed in brothels (in Uruguay they have many euphemistic names like “whiskerias” or “casas de masajes”).
[1] Usually brothels use a red light as distinctive, or have discrete announcements with the name of the establishment and a suggestive phrase to attract clients.
In order to open, a brothel must have the authorization of the municipal government and the state police and follow certain rules dictated by the Ministry of Public Health.
[1] There was a trade union named Asociación de Meretrices Profesionales del Uruguay, created in 1986, which comprised about 1200 women sex workers affiliates and whose purpose was the cooperation between sex workers, the defense of their rights, carrying out workshops and promote the prevention of STDs and HIV.
Women from the Dominican Republic, and to a lesser extent from South American countries, are subjected to sex trafficking in Uruguay.
Uruguayan officials have identified citizens of other countries, including China and the Dominican Republic, transiting Uruguay en route to other destinations, particularly Argentina, as potential victims of sex trafficking.