Summary

In Brazil’s Amazon, women engage in sex work in dangerous, lawless gold-mining settlements to support families, driven by poverty and lack of opportunities.

Dayane Leite, a sex worker, recounts her traumatic rape and humiliation by miners. Despite the dangers and exploitation, many women like Natalia Cavalcante resort to sex work to support their families and build houses on their profits.

Illegal mines, which have doubled in size over the past decade, cause environmental destruction, trafficking, and violence, including murders like Raiele Santos’.

Despite government crackdowns under President Lula, high gold prices sustain demand, with much of the gold relabeled and exported globally.