Talking About Colombia

With Super Bowl weekend here, the American news media are reporting a surge in sex trafficking.

It reminded me of a report on the “drug sex” tourism in Medellin, done by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNDOC) and the Medellin Mayor’s Office.

The report identified two kinds of travelers — wealthy older men staying in hotels while on business in the city and low-budget backpackers who stay at “party hostels” or “frat ghettos” — as most likely to seek out prostitutes, and in particular, child prostitutes.

Those who consume drugs, and come to Medellin because of the city’s reputation for cheap drugs, are more likely to pay for sex, said the report.

They come from the U.S., Israel, Italy and Germany.

There are also reports of young girls in Medellin auctioned off for their virginity, and those who are willing to pay the most for the girls are foreigners.

In downtown Medellin alone, there are at least 20 motels where children are prostituted.  But the pimping also happens in high-end hotels where employees offer tourists “prepaid” girls.

Medellin is Colombia’s third most visited city.

Related:

Medellin hostel defends response to backpacker “drug” death.