Sex Tourism In Colombia

Prostitution and sex tourism are legal and regulated in Colombia (between consenting adults). However, money is power, so be careful where you spend yours. Make sure you pack some extra cash to party naked with the most beautiful women in the world!

Source: https://www.nomadichustle.com/best-nightlife-in-colombia/

Dear reader, murders, guerilla groups, and their effect on society are not the topic of this article. But to better understand our world and the part we play in it, history and context are of the utmost importance.

FACT: In 1948, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, a presidential candidate for the Liberal Party, was shot dead in Bogotá. This started a 10-year period known as “The Violence,” during which 200,000 to 300,000 people were killed.

FACT: Inspired by the Cuban revolution in the 1950s, in 1964, farmers and land workers founded the armed wing of the Communist Party following a Marxist-Leninist ideology to fight against inequality in Colombia. The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) was an overwhelmingly rural guerrilla organization.

FACT: Their recruiting techniques were morally questionable, and many of their extortion, kidnapping, and murder victims were civilians.

In 2016, the guerrilla group had been fighting the longest-running armed insurgency in the Western Hemisphere (52 years), which was preceded by “The Violence” that lasted ten years. It’s safe to say that this history (or its presentation in the media) negatively affected tourism in Colombia. However, a lot has changed for the better in Colombian society due to the peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC in 2017.

Colombia is experiencing a period of peace that can be described as a cultural renaissance. There is a sudden consciousness about the importance of establishing a reputation for safety and natural beauty to attract tourists. I have been in Colombia for a month now and have seen this cultural effort on many levels. From the number of new hostels, short-term rentals, and coworking spaces aimed at digital nomads to the new tourism companies and roads being built to accommodate the increase in traffic to natural parks and now-touristy attractions. This is an incredibly beautiful country with delicious food, and the locals are beautiful, kind, helpful, and generous.

Honestly, I was skeptical when my wife told me she wanted to visit Colombia. Unfortunately, we ladies have to be extra careful about where we go. And this lady is traveling alone with her wife-lady. So, I did my homework.

Disclaimer, there are many websites with different numbers and statistics. But regardless of the exact numbers, the bottom line is the same. In 2019, 10-30 million U.S. citizens traveled to Mexico, while Colombia received a total of 4-5 million tourists. Clearly, the range of numbers is pretty broad, but, bottom line, a lot more people visit Mexico. However, crime statistics will make you wonder why. Mind you, I lived in Mexico for six months and never felt like I was in danger. My intention isn’t to be alarmist or create unnecessary fear. Wherever you go, most crimes beyond pickpocketing happen between locals. What matter is that Colombia is, as a matter of fact, safer than many cities in the US and places that seem pretty familiar to us, like Mexico.

So, VISIT COLOMBIA! Because besides having fantastic food and nature, sex tourism is booming! Despite the sex industry being one of the oldest, if not the oldest, and most consistent industry in history, people have debated and protested against sex workers for the past few centuries. It’s incredible to me that any government would oppose sex work instead of organizing and taxing it, but here we are. Like every other industry, ours is inherently flawed, increasingly risky, and financially and legally dependent on public opinion. The most common serious problems that can and have been linked to sex work are child sexual abuse and human/sex trafficking.

To this day, I have not found verifiable statistics about the relationship between legal sex work, child sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. These serious crimes are most often studied in countries with some form of legal sex work, like Colombia, the Netherlands, and Thailand. It’s obviously crucial to know the prevalence of these problems in countries with legal sex work if we are analyzing the consequences of legal sex work. But statistics don’t mean much if you can’t compare their numbers with the average number for all countries. We don’t know and can’t possibly know that number since we only know how many people get caught doing it. Of course, it is logical to assume that evil people will be more willing to sex traffic and abuse children where customers are willing to pay for it. And that is the issue with sex tourism.

Source: https://colombiareports.com/amp/protests-erupt-in-north-colombia-over-rape-tour-for-child-sex-tourists/

To manage a reported increase in child prostitution and sex trafficking due to sex tourism in Colombia, the government restricted prostitution to state-designated areas, and punishment for these crimes is severe (as it should be). From what I’ve seen, heard, and read, most people in Colombia oppose promoting sex tourism. After almost a century of civil unrest and violence, locals don’t want their reputation to go from “dangerous to visit” to “morally questionable.” Frankly, I’ve come to realize that wherever there is poverty and at least one person can spend money, there will be various forms and degrees of child labor and human trafficking.

What matters is how we use our money (=power of influence) to oppose or support these issues. 

It's more complicated than you might initially think when it comes to child labor even though, at the time, it feels like you are doing the right thing. I am ashamed to admit it because I see the more significant issue, but if I see a dirty and hungry child, I will give them food or money. This, in turn, is a reinforcement to the parent that is exposing their child to danger by leaving them dirty and hungry in the street to ask for coins. But it works, and that is why all over the world, parents make their children spend their days begging strangers (most often tourists) for money. This is also true for sex work.

I started this article by saying that history and context are essential when we want to understand the world and our role in it. Colombia is an incredible country. It is beautiful in every possible way, and I’m not exaggerating when I say you need to visit ASAP. If it’s your thing, for $15-50 USD, you can spend 30-60 minutes with a curvy, sexy Latina Mamacita that will change your life.

Please, dear reader, try to be responsible with your money wherever you are in the world. Don’t fuck kids, and certainly don’t give a child money for sex since you are giving a child abuser a reason to traffic and sell children. And don’t fuck people who are being forced to fuck you unless it’s consensual non-consent. CONSENT, CONSENT, CONSENT!