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Summary

In October 2007, sex workers in El Alto, Bolivia, led by Lily Cortéz, went on strike and used hunger strikes and lip-sewing protests to demand the reopening of closed brothels and respect for their rights. The campaign began after a violent rampage by parents and students destroyed brothels and forced closures by the municipal government. The sex workers’ actions gained international media attention and led to government mediation, though full demands were not met.

Background

On 14 October 2007, citizens of El Alto, Bolivia, primarily parents and students, demanded that brothels be moved at least 3,200 feet from schools and then went on a three-day rampage, burning or destroying at least 50 brothels and beating sex workers. The police did not intervene, and the El Alto mayor and municipal government closed all brothels within 1,600 feet of schools, forcing sex workers onto the streets where they faced police harassment. The sex workers, organized as the El Alto Association of Night Workers led by Lily Cortéz, demanded the reopening of the closed establishments and respect for their rights.

What happened

Starting on 17 October 2007, 35,000 sex workers across Bolivia went on strike by refusing to attend mandatory medical checkups, beginning with about 30 sex workers in El Alto and spreading nationwide [source: nv-database]. On 22 October 2007, over fifty sex workers occupied a medical center in El Alto and began a hunger strike to demand rights and respect [source: nv-database]. On 24 October 2007, at least ten prostitutes sewed their lips together with thread to draw attention to the hunger strike and the need for sex workers’ rights, gaining coverage from Reuters, The New York Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the BBC [source: nv-database]. Cortez announced threats of marching nude and burying themselves alive if demands were not met by the next day [source: nv-database]. On 27 October 2007, legislator Guillermo Mendoza intervened, and the sex workers suspended their strikes and threats [source: nv-database]. On 29 October 2007, the El Alto government agreed to work on legislation protecting sex workers’ rights and formed a mediation committee [source: nv-database]. On 15 December 2008, the Federación Iboamericana del Ombudsman filed a report with the La Paz government asking for reform, but no favorable reception was documented [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Lily Cortéz
  • El Alto Association of Night Workers
  • Global Network of Sex Work Projects
  • Guillermo Mendoza
  • Federación Iboamericana del Ombudsman

Tactics used

The sex workers combined a nationwide strike (refusing medical checkups) with dramatic nonviolent direct actions like hunger strikes and lip-sewing to generate media attention and pressure the government, while using threats of escalation to maintain leverage. [source: nv-database]

Outcome

Verdict: partial.

The campaign achieved partial success: the government agreed to mediate and work on legislation, but the brothels were not reopened and the specific demands were not fully met, as reflected in the low success score of 1 out of 6 points. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • Dramatic nonviolent actions like hunger strikes and lip-sewing can attract international media attention and force government negotiation.
  • A nationwide strike coordinated by a local union can amplify pressure on authorities.
  • Threats of escalating tactics (e.g., nude marches, self-burial) can create dilemma actions that increase leverage.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

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