Prostitution in Ecuador
Encyclopedia
Prostitution in Ecuador
is legal and regulated, as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18. The ownership of brothels is also permitted. Prostitution is widespread throughout the country.
Many child prostitutes have been abandoned or orphaned by one or both parents; some poverty-stricken parents also sell their children, wittingly or unwittingly, into prostitution. More than half of the girls involved in prostitution work in illegal establishments.
Most child victims are trafficked internally for prostitution, but some children are also trafficked to other countries, in particular to Venezuela
. The victims are usually children who are kidnapped, sold by their parents, or deceived by false employment opportunities. These children are first exploited through prostitution at the average age of 12.
Most Ecuadoran children trafficked into Venezuela come from the provinces of Chimborazo and Cañar
in the Andean region, a predominately indigenous area.
is a serious problem. According to a recent government study, the main destination provinces for human trafficking include Pichincha
, Guayas
, Esmeraldas
and Manabi
; Ecuadorian women are also trafficked to Colombia
, Peru
, Venezuela
, and Western Europe
for commercial sexual exploitation.
Traffickers are organized criminal gangs specializing in movement of persons, proprietors of small businesses such as bars or brothels, or illicit employment brokers; victims are lured romantically or with promises of legitimate employment and then forced into prostitution.
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
is legal and regulated, as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18. The ownership of brothels is also permitted. Prostitution is widespread throughout the country.
Child prostitution
Child prostitution is a widely recognized problem. A 2002 International Labor Organization report estimated that 5,200 minors were engaged in prostitution.Many child prostitutes have been abandoned or orphaned by one or both parents; some poverty-stricken parents also sell their children, wittingly or unwittingly, into prostitution. More than half of the girls involved in prostitution work in illegal establishments.
Most child victims are trafficked internally for prostitution, but some children are also trafficked to other countries, in particular to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. The victims are usually children who are kidnapped, sold by their parents, or deceived by false employment opportunities. These children are first exploited through prostitution at the average age of 12.
Most Ecuadoran children trafficked into Venezuela come from the provinces of Chimborazo and Cañar
Cañar Province
Cañar is a province in Ecuador. The capital is Azogues. At the time of census 2005 the province had a population of 221,045. It contains the 16th-century ruins of Ingapirca, the best-known Inca settlement in Ecuador and a product of their conquest of the indigenous Cañari.- Cantons :The province...
in the Andean region, a predominately indigenous area.
Human trafficking
Human traffickingHuman 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...
is a serious problem. According to a recent government study, the main destination provinces for human trafficking include Pichincha
Pichincha Province
Pichincha is a province of Ecuador located in the northern sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura & Esmeraldas to the north, Cotopaxi & Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the south, Napo & Sucumbíos to the east, and Esmeraldas & Santo Domingo de los...
, Guayas
Guayas
Guayas may refer to:*Ecuador:**Guayas River**Guayas Province**Guayas **Guayas *The fruit of the mamoncillo tree...
, Esmeraldas
Esmeraldas Province
Esmeraldas is a province in northwestern Ecuador. The capital is Esmeraldas.The province is home to the Afro-Ecuadorian culture.- Cantons :The province is divided into 8 cantons...
and Manabi
Manabí Province
Manabí is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Portoviejo. The province is named after the Manabí people.-Economy:Manabí's economy is based heavily on natural resources such as cacao, bananas, cotton, etc. It's industrial sector is based on Tuna canning, tobacco, and alcoholic beverage production...
; Ecuadorian women are also trafficked to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and 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...
for commercial sexual exploitation.
Traffickers are organized criminal gangs specializing in movement of persons, proprietors of small businesses such as bars or brothels, or illicit employment brokers; victims are lured romantically or with promises of legitimate employment and then forced into prostitution.