Mayor of Medellin, Colombia bans prostitution in neighbourhoods that are popular with tourists

Federico Gutierrez, presidential candidate representing the Team for Colombia coalition, talks during a presidential debate at the El Tiempo newspaper building in Bogota, Colombia, May 23, 2022. (AP Photo / Fernando Vergara, File)

BOGOTA, Colombia — The mayor of Colombia's second largest city on Monday issued a six-month ban on prostitution in some of the city's most famous neighbourhoods, arguing that it is a necessary step to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.

Medellín's Mayor Federico Gutiérrez said in a press conference the ban will be enforced in the neighborhoods of Provenza and El Poblado, two areas of the city that are teeming with trendy bars and clubs and are also frequented by thousands of tourists.

The neighbourhoods have also become popular with sex workers who walk the streets in search of international clients. Mayor Gutiérrez said that criminal networks are taking minors to these districts and forcing them into sex work.

“We have to recover the control of this area,” Gutiérrez said. “It is also very important for us to protect the community.”

Sex work is legal in Colombia if it involves consenting adults. But Colombian laws enable local governments to ban this activity temporarily from some parts of the city, if it is deemed a threat to public order.

The Medellín prostitution ban comes just days after an American man was found in a hotel room with two local girls aged 12 and 13, in a case widely covered by the local press.

The 36-year-old was held in police custody for 12 hours, then released while officials investigated the case. Local press reported that he left Colombia and went to Florida.

During Monday's news conference, Gutiérrez urged Colombian authorities to speed up the investigation.

“It is sad to see how many people believe they can come to Medellín and do whatever they want," he said.

Sex work has grown in Medellín as the city of three million people becomes increasingly popular with tourists, who head to Medellín for its balmy weather, affordable prices and festive atmosphere.

While some tourists meet sex workers directly in the city’s streets, others are meeting them through dating apps and some of these encounters have turned violent.

In January, the State Department issued a security alert on the risks of using dating apps in Medellín, after eight Americans were killed there in the prior two months.

The alert said criminals were using dating apps to lure visitors to hotels, restaurants and bars where they were drugged, kidnapped or robbed.