Stolen Youth: Combatting Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Cartagena, Colombia

Twelve-year-old Anita walks along the beach of La Boquilla and is approached by her second customer of the day. It's three o'clock in the afternoon, and business is slow. The customer, a tourist visiting Cartagena, found Anita for sex through the taxi driver who brought him from the airport to his hotel.

A few minutes later, the vacationer and the young Colombian girl show up at the hotel to rent a room. Written on the wall are the words ¡La muralla soy yo ! (It stops here- literally, "I am the wall.") The desk clerk, seeing how young the girl is, asks the man if she is related to him. The man hesitates and does not know what to answer. The desk clerk informs him that sexual exploitation of children is a serious crime in Colombia, carrying a possible 14 to 25 year jail sentence without parole. In broken Spanish, the man sends the girl home.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children is a formidable problem in Cartagena. The port city, with its population of one million and set against the Caribbean Sea, is a destination of choice for sexual tourists. But Luz Stella Cárdenas, founder and director of Fundación Renacer [rebirth foundation], is determined to wipe out commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth, despite the well-established crime syndicates of Cartagena.

Recently, the activist and trained psychologist started up the ¡La muralla soy yo ! project with support from CIDA. The project aims to protect minors - both girls and boys - from commercial sexual exploitation and intends to make every tourism industry worker in Cartagena a "wall" against child sexual exploitation, just as the old city's walls were built to protect it from pirates and invaders of all sorts.

Mrs. Cárdenas explains: "We have been fighting this scourge for over a decade. At first, the local tourism industry viewed us as troublemakers. Hotelkeepers, beach vendors, taxi drivers, and municipal representatives-all saw us as an organization that could hurt the city's growth and reputation. Little by little, we were able to convince them that the city could not develop sustainably on the basis of sexual tourism, by Colombians and foreign tourists alike."

Since the project's implementation and since Fundación Renacer began its efforts to raise awareness, police officers have been patrolled beaches more regularly. They have also been doing community outreach work with young people, restaurant owners, and street vendors to ensure that children are not trapped in a sexual exploitation ring. "I know almost all of the children on my beat," says Police officer Erika Martínez. "If I meet one during the day, I ask why he or she is not in school."

Watercraft renters, who spend all day on the beach, do the same. Says Aramin Mejía, president of the Watercraft Owners' Association: "When we see very young girls-and often young boys-with adults, and things look questionable, we tip off the police. We've come to understand that sexual tourism is not good for children, or for business."

Four street workers from the Renacer project, recruited from the poor neighbourhoods of Cartagena, regularly patrol the city's hotspots to tag children at risk. These children are invited to take part in workshops, group games, animated theatre, open discussions, and information meetings on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This enables these children to understand clearly the dangers to which they are exposed: intimidation, drugs, STIs, and emotional dependence.

Mrs. Cárdenas describes the situation: "Poverty isn't the whole story. Young persons often come from very violent backgrounds or from dysfunctional families. They're looking for an easy way to make money but also for social acceptance, which they don't get in their community. An 11 year-old will often be sexually exploited with the consent of those around her-parents, friends, neighbours-who benefit from the situation. She looks for a father figure, a 'daddy' who'll take care of her. Unfortunately, Cartagena attracts a large number of tourists, so there is no shortage of customers."

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A joint effort

Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Cartagena. Moreover, the city wants to be certified internationally as a major tourist destination, especially because of its old walled city, which UNESCO added to the world heritage list in 1984. This is not an easy task. There are strict requirements for certification, and commercial sexual exploitation of children remains a problem.

Government bodies and partners from the private sector are working with Fundación Renacer to combat commercial sexual exploitation of children and to get local businesses to adopt a code of conduct. The city has implemented a plan to raise awareness in this regard, and schools in the region hold workshops for youth. The Hotel Owners' Association supports the project, and the police are keeping a closer watch. Offenders face tougher legal proceedings, requiring court appearance. In addition, legislation against commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth, the wording of which was developed by Renacer, was passed in July 2009, making it possible to take stronger action against offenders.

To date, however, legal action has yielded few results. The need to collect conclusive evidence, the problems in providing interpretation for foreign tourists, and the many extenuating circumstances make it difficult to convict those involved, particularly the pimps and the flophouse owners.

Fortunately, Luz Stella Cárdenas and her eight-member team do not discourage easily. They have achieved reaching nearly 600 children and youth aged 7 to 17, and 300 parents. . They have also raised the awareness and obtained the cooperation of all key stakeholders in Cartagena. The project has a budget of $600,000, provided in large part by the Local Fund for Governance for Children's Rights and Protection, the "Fondo Canadiense para la Niñez" (in Spanish).

Mrs. Cárdenas also works with local media to heighten their awareness on the issue. She does so as much for the citizens of Cartagena and its reputation as she does for the children. She explains: "Combatting commercial sexual exploitation of children is above all a matter of respect for children's rights- rights recognized by all international agreements. Surprisingly, boys are affected as much as girls are. Nearly half of the young victims are boys. It's also a major health issue, because 8 percent of these youths are HIV carriers. We must support them in asserting their rights, and we must restore them to their full and equitable place in society."

Over the last few years, Fundación Renacer has broadened its mandate to include rehabilitating victims of sexual exploitation and drug addicts. A halfway house has opened on the outskirts of Cartagena. It can accommodate about fifty young people. There, young people aged 10 to 17 can live in a safe environment and find the confidence they need to face their community without feeling guilty or being passive victims. Supported by psychologists, they learn how to live again without having to sell their bodies and a piece of their souls.

It's a long process, and several youths must spend up to two years at the halfway house before they can return to their families. But the effort is worth it. Even if their childhood has been stolen from them, they can now hope to live fuller, more stable and rewarding lives.