Prostitution in Colombia
Encyclopedia
Prostitution in Colombia is legal as long as it is done in designated "tolerance zones".
Prostitution is widespread and exacerbated by poverty and internal displacement. Domestically, organized crime networks, some related to illegal armed groups, are responsible for human trafficking
for sexual exploitation and the armed conflict has made a large number of internal trafficking victims vulnerable.
.
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 prostituted, even more so in the declining economy .
A spokesman for the UN's children's fund, UNICEF, 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 parlors. .
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
.
trafficked to Latin America
, the Caribbean
, Western Europe
, Asia
, and North America
, including the United States
, 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 .
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
and violence
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.
Prostitution is widespread and exacerbated by poverty and internal displacement. Domestically, organized crime networks, some related to illegal armed groups, are responsible for human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
for sexual exploitation and the armed conflict has made a large number of internal trafficking victims vulnerable.
Child prostitution
It is estimated that there are 35,000 children working as prostitutes in Colombia with between 5,000 and 10,000 of them on the streets of BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
.
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 prostituted, even more so in the declining economy .
A spokesman for the UN's children's fund, UNICEF, 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 parlors. .
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
Child sex tourism
Child sex tourism is tourism for the purpose of engaging in the prostitution of children, that is commercially-facilitated child sexual abuse...
, particularly coastal cities such as Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
and Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
.
Human trafficking
Colombia is a major source country for women and girlstrafficked to Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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 .
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
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
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.