Prostitution in Belize is legal, but the buying of sexual services is not. Associated activities such as operating a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

, loitering for the purposes of

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

and soliciting sex are also illegal. Prostitution is widespread and takes place on the streets and in brothels, bars, nightclubs and hotels. Although denied by the Belize government, the country is a destination for

sex tourism Sex tourism refers to the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships in exchange for money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly oper ...

Child sex tourism Child sex tourism (CST) is tourism for the purpose of engaging in the prostitution of children, which is commercially facilitated child sexual abuse. The definition of '' child'' in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is "ev ...

is a problem, primarily serving visitors from the United States.

Sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the ...

is also a problem in the country.

Legal situation

Whilst prostitution is legal, the buying of sexual services is not. Related activities such as procuring another person to work as a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

, providing premises for prostitution and living off the earnings of prostitution are illegal. Keeping, managing or assisting in the management of a

is also prohibited. Liquor licensing laws prohibit prostitution in bars. The Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act Chapter 98 prohibits "common prostitutes" (women who have previously received a police warning) from soliciting in a street or public place for the purpose of prostitution. "Male persons" are prohibited from loitering for the purpose of prostitution, or to persistently solicit or importune for immoral purposes. The laws treat prostitution offences as nuisances and penalties are small. The Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Act of 2003 combats trafficking, but the maximum penalty is low, compared to other countries, at 5 years imprisonment or $5,000 fine. The Immigration laws prohibit the entry into the country of prostitutes or any person living off the proceeds of prostitution. The laws are commonly not enforced, and law enforcement officials are often corrupt.

Brothels

Although illegal, brothels are widespread in the country. Orange Walk Town is reputed to have the highest concentration of brothels. In June 2011, the country's best known brothel, Raul's Rose Garden, was burnt down. It had first opened in February 1981. Before their withdrawal in the 1990s, the establishment was popular with British soldiers. Some hotels operate a "ficha" system. Prostitutes rent rooms in the hotel and attract clients in the bar. The women are paid commission on the drinks bought by the clients before going to the rooms. The rent of the room is taken out of the commission. These hotels are often connected to nightclubs or go-go bars.

Military brothels

To try to combat the spread of

STIs The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) is a spectrograph, also with a camera mode, installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. Aerospace engineer Bruce Woodgate of the Goddard Space Flight Center was the principal investigator and crea ...

, including HIV, and by inter-governmental agreement, a number of brothels were set up for the exclusive use of British troops stationed in the country. The prostitutes, many from

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

, had to carry a photo identification card and undergo weekly health checks. The use of condoms was mandatory.

Sex trafficking

Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking. The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons reported family members facilitate the sex trafficking of Belizean women and girls. In tourist regions, foreign child sex tourists, primarily from the United States, exploit child sex trafficking victims. Sex trafficking of Belizean and foreign women and girls, primarily from Central America, occur in bars, nightclubs, brothels, and domestic service. LGBTI men, women, and children are vulnerable to sex trafficking. Foreign men, women, and children—particularly from Central America, Mexico, and Asia—migrate voluntarily to Belize in search of work and are often exploited by traffickers who recruit victims using false promises of relatively high-paying jobs. Some migrants are subjected to sex trafficking. Trafficking-related complicity by government officials remains a problem. The United States Department of State

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 Belize as a Tier 3 country.

References

External links

Belize Government Policies and Programs to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor
* ttp://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/rwinslow/namerica/belize.html Crime in Belize {{DEFAULTSORT:Prostitution In Belize Belize Society of Belize Belize Human rights in Belize Women's rights in Belize Social issues in Belize