Prostitution in Argentina (exchanging sex for money) is legal under Federal law. Article 19 of the constitution states: "The private actions of people that do not offend in any way the public order and morality, nor damage a third person, are only reserved to God, and are exempt from the authority of the magistrates."[1] Organised prostitution (brothels, prostitution rings and pimping) is illegal.[2][3][4][5][6] In addition, individual provinces may place further restriction on the trade.[7] For example, in San Juan, publicly offering sex services for money is punishable by up to 20 days in jail.[7] In 2012, newspapers were banned from carrying classified-ads offering sexual services.[7] UNAIDS estimated there to be about 75,000 prostitutes in the country in 2016.[8]
Sex workers and the 2016 Human Rights Report of the US Department of State, report corruption, abuse and violence towards sex workers by the police.[7][9] AMMAR report that between July 1996 and November 2001, 41 of their members have been murdered. Only 3 of these have been solved.[7]
Traffickers from across Argentina bypass regulations that ban brothels by establishing “mobile brothels” in vans and trucks, making raids more difficult; this practice is particularly prevalent in the northern area of the country.[10]
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was invoked but never defined (see the help page).