The country of Colombia, South America, has a high prevalence of women and girls who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution.
Immigrants in major Colombian cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali find work scarce, and some turn to prostitution as a last resort to feed their families.
[2] Groups at high risk for internal trafficking include displaced persons, poor women in rural areas, and relatives of members of criminal organizations.
Migrants from South America, Africa, and China transit Colombia en route to the United States and Europe; some may fall victim to traffickers.
In December 2009 Ecuadorian government investigations revealed that the drug trafficking Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had an extensive network in Ecuador and might have possibly allowed guerrillas to fund President Rafael Correa’s 2006 election campaign.
When the visa restrictions for nationals from most countries were lifted in Ecuador in 2008, and with the implementation in 2000 to the US dollar as currency, the borders were opened up to more money laundering and human trafficking organizations from Russia, China, India and Africa.
He was living in Colombia as a refugee and was receiving money from South Africa and the US in order to send immigrants via boat, or cheap flights to Mexico.
A national and international campaign began in September 2009, hoping to change the Government’s views on human rights defender.
The government did not appear to employ formal procedures for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations within the country, such as displaced persons or women in prostitution.
Authorities ran an interagency anti-trafficking operations center to refer victims to providers of protective services, as well as to coordinate and track criminal investigation and prosecution of their cases, and collect nationwide information and statistics about trafficking crimes.
Authorities provided medical and psychological care, access to financial and employment assistance, and information and legal support for judicial processes.
In collaboration with an international organization, the government also launched a pilot program to combat sex trafficking in two high-risk neighborhoods through public awareness events and training sessions for community leaders.
Authorities trained 171 journalists in Medellin, Cartagena, and Cali to improve awareness and increase accurate media coverage of trafficking in persons issues.
Article 219 of the Colombian criminal code prohibits organizing or facilitating sexual tourism and provides penalties of 3 to 8 years’ imprisonment, but there were no reported prosecutions or convictions of child sex tourists.