Minors are placed in brothels, bars, malls, parks or on the street, and then taken to motels or hotels.
“Hotel staff foster the sexual exploitation of children and ‘victimization’ of children through their indifference,” a researcher said.
“Tourists understand that this is a crime, but they think there are no laws to punish them,” the report explained.
Researchers interviewed 67 victims, 35 boys and 32 girls, all between 14 and 17 years. “All the stories were sad, many girls were mothers who have not completed their studies,” a researcher explained. He added that many minors come from dysfunctional families, have been neglected and have experienced sexual violence.
More than half of the children in the study were from Bogota, while the rest came from other regions in Colombia.