Colombian city bans prostitution as US tourist caught with two underage girls in hotel

Sex work is legal in Colombia if it involves consenting adults.

The mayor of Colombia’s second-largest city has banned prostitution in some of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods for six months after an American man was caught with two underage girls in a hotel room.according to independentThe ban will be implemented in Provenza and El Poblado, two neighborhoods popular with tourists. Medellín Mayor Federico Gutierrez said the ban was a necessary step to prevent child sexual exploitation.

The ban was issued after an American tourist was found in a hotel room with two local girls, aged 12 and 13. The case was widely discussed in the media and shocked locals. As a result, the 36-year-old American man was detained by the police for 12 hours. He was later released while officials investigated the case. He later left the country and fled to Florida.

Notably, both communities are popular with sex workers who seek out foreigners on the streets. Several criminal networks in the region have been forcing minors into sex work.

“We have to regain control of the area,” Mayor Gutierrez said. “Protecting the community is also very important to us.” “

He also urged Colombian authorities to speed up investigations into the tourists’ cases. “It’s sad to see how many people believe they can come to Medellín and do whatever they want,” he told a news conference on Monday.

Sex work is legal in Colombia if it involves consenting adults. However, local governments have the power to temporarily ban the event if it is deemed to pose a threat to public order.

Notably, tourists now meet sex workers through dating apps, with some encounters turning violent. In January, the State Department issued a security alert about the risks of using dating apps in Medellín after eight Americans were killed in the city over the past two months.