Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez imposes 6-month prostitution ban after tourist spotted with minors

Federico Gutierrez, Mayor of Medellín, a city located in the Andes mountains in Colombia,has taken a decisive action andhas imposed a six-month ban on prostitution in two neighbourhoods.

This comes as Provenza and El Poblado localities which are very popular with tourists have witnessed a rising trendin disturbing incidents, the latest involving an American man found with two minor girls in a Medellin hotel room.

The incident has triggered the ban. The incident at the Medellin has sent shockwaves through the community when an American tourist was spotted with two local girls aged 12 and 13.

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The tragic event led to the American man being detained for 12 hours. However, he eventually left the country and escaped to Florida. Notably, the investigation in the case is still ongoing as Mayor Gutierrez while expressing his concern also asked the Colombian authorities to expedite the investigation into the case.

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Mayor Gutierrez pointed out at the need of the ban to combat the sexual exploitation of children in these areas which are known for sex workers. ''We have to recover the control of this area. It is also very important for us to protect the community,"Gutierrez said.

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

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Sex work is legal in Colombia

In Colombia, sex work involving consenting adults is legal. However, Colombian laws empower local governments to temporarily prohibit this activity in certain parts of the city if it is considered a threat to public order.

The ban comes at a time when there is a rising concern about the dangers associated with tourists meeting sex workers through dating apps.

US Embassy in Bogota, State Department in an earlier press release said, it has been informed of eight concerning deaths of private US citizens in Medellin between November 1 and December 31, 2023.

These deaths seem to be related to either involuntary drug overdoseor suspected homicides, as per the release. Several of the deaths suggested possible scenarios of involvement of the use of online dating applications.

(With inputs from agencies)