CARTAGENA, Colombia: Prostitutes have united in Cartagena, a port city and tourist destination, with the hopes of protecting children from an international network of pimps and sexual predators.
“I was a prostitute before I was even a woman. I began when I was 10 years old. I cannot erase my past, but I can help stop other children from going through the same experience,” said Damaris, who met with a group of taxi drivers to help curb the international child-sex industry.
The meeting was part of a campaign to encourage residents to protect children from paedophiles, and to engage the tourist industry in the fight against child prostitution.
According to the National Institute of Child Protection, as many as 35 000 children are forced into prostitution in this country of 46 million residents.
Those who promote activities that involve the abuse of minors could face eight years in prison.
– Sapa-AFP