Inside the retirement home of former sex workers

  Intimate portraits of former sex workers have been captured by a French photographer for nearly a decade .
The snaps were taken at a government-run retirement shelter for elderly women who have escaped prostitution and the violence and exploitation that comes with it.Benedicte Desrus photographed women aged 55 and older at Casa Xochiquetzal in Mexico City as part of an eight-year project.

The home provides safety and dignity for some of the capital's most vulnerable residents, who spent nearly their entire adult lives on the streets and were constantly at risk of danger.Ms Desrus' photos, were published in a book called Las Amorosas Mas Bravas (The Toughest Lovers), which was co-authored with writer Celia Gomez Ramos.

Former sex worker Carmen Munoz opened Casa Xochiquetzal after she saw several prostitutes sleeping under filthy plastic tarps and cluttered market stalls.After a 20 year fight she finally convinced the government to open the shelter, and it has now helped nearly 300 women.