Sex tourism, which attracts foreigners to Colombia, increasingly affects minors, said Bianca Fidone, project director of the women’s rights organization Espacios de Mujer, Izvestia reports on April 21.
Colombia has a bad reputation for drug trafficking that attracts tourists, Fidone said. “Lately, another type of tourism has been added to this type of tourism: sexual tourism”said the social activist.
Official data is provided that from 2020 to 2023, more than 1.2 thousand children and adolescents were involved in administrative processes of restitution of rights due to their participation in human trafficking and sexual violence.
According to Bianca Fidone, the involvement of children in the sex industry often occurs with the knowledge of their own families, who send the minors to earn money.
Social activists mention the March 2024 case of the American Timothy Alan Luvingston, who was seen in Medellín with two minors aged 12 and 13. The case led Colombian President Gustavo Petro to announce that he would try to extradite the pedophile.
Another case that occurred in January 2023 resulted in the arrest of American Haven Edward Cates III in Chicago. He revealed that since 2018 he has visited Colombia at least 36 times looking for teenagers between 15 and 17 years old to have sexual relations.
It should be noted that in 2023, 5.8 million tourists visited Colombia, 26.6% more than a year before.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.