Brazilian Official Fired After Running Prostitution Ad On International Hooker's Day

Prostitutes are seen in Rome in this July 3, 2007 photo. Italian law gives foreign prostitutes a chance to escape human traffickers who force young women from poor countries to sell their bodies to pay for their passage into Western Europe. While some other European nations also have laws to help trafficked prostitutes, Italy's legislation stands out because of its elasticity: Women are encouraged, but not required, to testify against their traffickers. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) (AP)

A high-ranking federal health department administrator in Brazil was fired for being too zealous in launching an awareness campaign dealing with country's legal prostitution system.

Brazil's director of the Department of STDs, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis is now out of work after starting an ad campaign called “I’m happy being a prostitute” without getting a green light his bosses.

Brazilian Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha dismissed director Dirceu Greco for the ad campaign in observation of International Hooker’s Day.

Padilha said that they were testing the ad on the ministry’s website, but it was never meant to be published without approval from the ministry’s public relations department.

“I do not think this is a message the ministry should be sending,” Padilha said, according to the BBC.

The ad has since been removed per Padilha’s request because it did not support the campaign’s mission, which is to educate the public on the health of Brazil’s professional prostitutes and diminish social prejudice and stigma against the industry.

After a workshop with the country’s sex professionals in March, the Ministry of Health made the decision to address the topic of health care within the sex industry, assigning the Department of STDs, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis to come up with a campaign.

The controversial ad was brought to light on Tuesday by the Committee for Human Rights and Minorities of the House, which determined that the campaign was being misinterpreted.

According to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Congressman João Campos said the message was so appalling he was unsure what the next campaign would say.

“I am here imagining the titles of next campaigns: ‘I’m an adulterer and I’m happy,’ ‘I’m incestuous, follow me,’ ‘I’m polygamous, join me,’ ‘I’m a pedophile, watch me, I’m happy, I’m accomplished,’” Campos told the newspaper.

Although the ad “I’m happy being a prostitute” has been removed, the campaign will continue – but with a different message: “Not ashamed of using a condom.”

Prostitution is legal in the Roman Catholic country, and the industry has grown in recent years.