Prostitution in Venezuela
Encyclopedia
Prostitution in Venezuela is legal and regulated. The punishment for involving minors in prostitution is 3 to 6 years. The Criminal Code prohibits inducing the prostitution or corruption of minors. Punishment is imprisonment for 3 to 18 months. The penalty is doubled if the perpetrator first “corrupted” the minor (that is, if the victim was a virgin). The imprisonment increases to 1 to 4 years if the minor is below the age of 12, if the act is committed by means of fraud or deceit, or if the perpetrator of the act is a person entrusted with the custody or care of the child.
The code also prohibits promoting, directing, or profiting from the sexual activity of minors or adolescents.12 These offenses are punishable by imprisonment for 3 to 6 years, which increases to 4 to 8 years if the offense is committed by a perpetrator who is in a position of authority over the victim.13 It is also a crime to induce, facilitate, or promote prostitution or corruption of another person to satisfy the passions of others, which is punishable by 1 to 6 years’ imprisonment. However, if the victim is a minor, the minimum penalty is increased to 3 years’ imprisonment. The code prohibits a husband or other relative from forcing a wife or female descendent to prostitute herself. The punishment for that act is imprisonment for 4 to 6 years.
Prostitution is common, particularly in Caracas
and in other domestic tourist destinations.
Poor economic conditions and the ease with which fraudulent passports, identity cards, and birth certificates can be obtained create favorable conditions for human trafficking
. Women and children from Brazil
, Colombia
, Peru
, Ecuador
, the Dominican Republic
, and the People's Republic of China
are trafficked to and through the country and subjected to commercial sexual exploitation. Citizens are trafficked internally and to Western Europe, particularly Spain
and the Netherlands
, and to countries in the region such as Mexico
, Aruba
, and the Dominican Republic
for commercial sexual exploitation. In many cases traffickers place ads for models in regional newspapers and then lure respondents to Caracas
under false pretenses of employment.
The code also prohibits promoting, directing, or profiting from the sexual activity of minors or adolescents.12 These offenses are punishable by imprisonment for 3 to 6 years, which increases to 4 to 8 years if the offense is committed by a perpetrator who is in a position of authority over the victim.13 It is also a crime to induce, facilitate, or promote prostitution or corruption of another person to satisfy the passions of others, which is punishable by 1 to 6 years’ imprisonment. However, if the victim is a minor, the minimum penalty is increased to 3 years’ imprisonment. The code prohibits a husband or other relative from forcing a wife or female descendent to prostitute herself. The punishment for that act is imprisonment for 4 to 6 years.
Prostitution is common, particularly in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
and in other domestic tourist destinations.
Poor economic conditions and the ease with which fraudulent passports, identity cards, and birth certificates can be obtained create favorable conditions 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...
. Women and children from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, 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....
, Ecuador
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...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
are trafficked to and through the country and subjected to commercial sexual exploitation. Citizens are trafficked internally and to Western Europe, particularly Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and to countries in the region such as Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
for commercial sexual exploitation. In many cases traffickers place ads for models in regional newspapers and then lure respondents to Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
under false pretenses of employment.