[1][2] Associated activities such as operating a brothel, loitering for the purposes of prostitution and soliciting sex are also illegal.
[3][4][5][6] Prostitution is widespread and takes place on the streets and in brothels, bars, nightclubs and hotels.
[18] To try to combat the spread of STIs, including HIV, and by inter-governmental agreement, a number of brothels were set up for the exclusive use of British troops stationed in the country.
[19][20][21] The prostitutes, many from Guatemala,[21] had to carry a photo identification card[21] and undergo weekly health checks.
[20][21] Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking of Belizean and foreign women and girls, primarily from Central America, occur in bars, nightclubs, brothels, and domestic service.
Foreign men, women, and children—particularly from Central America, Mexico, and Asia—migrate voluntarily to Belize in search of work and are often exploited by traffickers who recruit victims using false promises of relatively high-paying jobs.