Prostitution in Colombia is legal, regulated and limited to brothels in designated "tolerance zones".
Sex workers are required to have regular health checks.
However, the laws are rarely applied and prostitution is widespread,
partly due to poverty and internal displacement.
Domestically,
organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
networks, some related to illegal armed groups, are responsible for
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
for
sexual slavery
Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This include ...
and the armed conflict has made a large number of internal trafficking victims vulnerable.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) (, ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an e ...
estimate there to be 7,218 prostitutes in the country.
Illegal prostitution
Child prostitution
A series of factors put children at risk for sexual exploitation in Colombia and leave them unprotected. The war and the drug trade have altered family structures that in ordinary times would have provided safety and nurture. The war has also caused the displacement of countless families, some of whose children have been soldiers in the war. Displaced children are particularly vulnerable to being forced into prostitution, even more so in the declining economy.
A spokesman for the UN's children's fund,
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
, Karel de Rooy, said many child prostitutes were as young as nine years old and that clients were often middle-aged foreigners. He also said that the children were often
addicted to drugs.
Commercial sexual exploitation of children is found especially in urban centers and in areas where there are large numbers of men who are separated from families due to work. Children are involved in commercial sexual exploitation either on the streets or in private establishments such as bars, brothels, or
massage parlor
A massage parlor (American English) or massage parlour (Canadian/British English) is a place where massage services are provided for a fee. In the 19th century, the term began to be used in English as a euphemism for a brothel.
Context
In 1894 ...
s.
The culture of violence in Colombia had created a feeling of fear and resignation among the population; the violence had led to child prostitution and child gangs which added to the worsening situation of violence.
Colombia also is a destination for foreign
child sex tourists, particularly coastal cities such as
Cartagena and
Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
.
Sex trafficking
Colombia is a major source country for women and girls
trafficked to
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
,
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, including the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Internally, women and children are trafficked from rural to urban areas for commercial sexual exploitation.
Continued armed violence in Colombia has displaced many communities, making them vulnerable to human trafficking. Groups at high risk for internal trafficking include displaced persons, poor women in rural areas, and relatives of members of criminal organizations.
Members of gangs and organized criminal networks
force their relatives and acquaintances, and displaced
persons–typically women and children–into conditions
of forced prostitution.
Many traffickers disclose the sexual nature of the work they offer but conceal information about working conditions, clientele, freedom of movement, and compensation. Others disguise their intent by portraying themselves as modeling agents, offering marriage brokerage services, providing study programs, or operating lottery or bingo scams with free trips as prizes.
The
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) is an agency within the United States Department of State charged with investigating and creating programs to prevent human trafficking both within the United States and internation ...
ranks Colombia as a '
Tier 1' country.
Government response
The Government of Colombia is making efforts to fight child prostitution, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and human trafficking.
Colombia prohibits all forms of trafficking through its anti-trafficking statute, Law 985, which
prescribes minimum punishments of 13 to 23 years’ imprisonment.
The Government of Colombia cooperates with foreign governments to repatriate trafficking victims and investigate trafficking cases.
The Government has improved prevention efforts against human trafficking by launching a widespread education campaign entitled “''The Next Victim Could Be You''” in October 2008. The campaign included TV commercials, radio spots, and print advertising featuring a popular Colombian television personality.
However, the
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
and
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...
from the country create an environment where sexual exploitation thrives. Many victims of trafficking refuse to assist in the prosecution of their traffickers due to fear of reprisals.
References
External links
Brothel prostitution in Colombia (Articles of Sexual Behavior)Bogota curfew aims at child sex
{{South America in topic, Prostitution in
Society of Colombia
Women's rights in Colombia