Mayor bans prostitution for 6-months in Medellin, Colombia

Mayor Federico Gutiérrez of Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia, placed a ban on prostitution in some of its most famous neighbourhoods on Monday. According to him, the ban will be applicable for six months and is intended to curb the sexual exploitation of children.

Provenza and El Poblado, two of the city’s most popular areas which are frequented by tourists very often and are full of clubs and bars, have been subjected to the ban.

According to Gutiérrez, these neighborhoods are full of sex workers looking for international clients and are being used by criminal elements to bring in minors and force them into prostitution.

Gutiérrez spoke of the matter at a press conference, stating the following, “We have to recover the control of this area. It is also very important for us to protect the community.”

Colombian law is quite unique when it comes to prostitution as it is legal in the country so long as it involves consenting adults but certain provisions allow local governing bodies to place a ban on it if it is seen to be a threat to law and order.

Another interesting aspect to this development is that it comes at the heels of an American man being found in a hotel room with two underage sex workers, aged 12 and 13. The case was cover by the media both within Colombia and internationally, which led to significant outrage.

The man aged 36 was held in police custody from a span of 12 hours before he was released under the pretense that the authorities would continue the investigation. Unfortunately, he managed to fly to Florida, which have left local authorities with very little recourse.

During the press conference on Monday, while announcing the ban, Gutiérrez urged Colombian authorities to take the issue seriously and push ahead with the investigation at a quicker pace.

He added the following, “It is sad to see how many people believe they can come to Medellín and do whatever they want.”

Medellin has become the preferred option for tourists due to its great weather, reasonable prices and enchanting atmosphere which has helped sex work in it grow significantly.

Other problems have also surfaced, as tourists meet sex workers via dating apps or on the street and some interactions have been known to turn violent leading to a lot of scrutiny.

After eight Americans were killed in a span of just two months, the State Department released a security alert on the possible risks of using dating apps to meet sex workers in Medellin.

According to the security alert, there have been multiple instances of criminals using dating apps to bring tourists to hotels, restaurants and bars where they are robbed, drugged, kidnapped and sometimes killed.

This in itself has become a significant problem for both nations as they make attempts to resolve the issue. The fact remains that sex tourism in Latin American nations such as Colombia has become the norm and Medellin is one of local governing bodies making an attempt to control the problem.