The mayor of Colombia’s second-largest city has ordered a six-month ban on prostitution in some of the city’s most famous neighborhoods, saying the measure is necessary to prevent child sexual exploitation.
Mayor Federico Gutierrez said Monday that the ban would also be enforced in the Provenza and El Poblado districts, two areas of the city that are packed with trendy bars and clubs and are visited by thousands of tourists.
The area is also popular with sex workers who roam the streets in search of foreign clients. Mayor Gutierrez said criminal networks exploit minors by taking them to these areas and forcing them into sex work.
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“We must regain control of this region,” Gutierrez said at a news conference. “Protecting the community is also very important to us.”
In Colombia, sex work is legal with the consent of an adult. However, Colombian law allows local authorities to temporarily ban this activity from some areas of the city if it is deemed a threat to public order.
The Colombian flag is photographed on April 12, 2012, just before the 6th Summit of the Americas in Colombia. (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
Medellin’s prostitution ban came days after an American man was found in a hotel room with two local girls, aged 12 and 13, in a case that received extensive coverage in the local press.
The 36-year-old man was detained by police for 12 hours before being released while authorities investigated the incident. Local media reported that he had left Colombia for Florida.
At a press conference on Monday, Gutierrez called on Colombian authorities to speed up the investigation.
“It’s sad to see how many people believe they can come to Medellin and do anything,” he said.
Sex work in Medellin is on the rise as the city of 3 million people becomes more popular with tourists who visit the city for its mild climate, affordable prices and festive atmosphere.
While some tourists meet sex workers directly on the city’s streets, others meet them through dating apps, and some of these encounters turn violent.
In January, the State Department issued a warning about the dangers of using dating apps in Medellin after eight Americans were killed in the city over the past two months.
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The warning said criminals were using dating apps to lure visitors to hotels, restaurants and bars, where they were drugged, kidnapped and robbed.
