Sex, culture and economy: recognizing sex work in Colombia
For decades sex work has been ignored and stigmatized in Colombia; today the country is beginning to take steps toward recognizing it.
Colombia's Ministry of Equality and Equity brings together people involved in paid sexual activities in different modalities through social dialogue roundtables that seek to recognize this age-old activity with social, cultural and economic connotations.
At the third Permanent Dialogue Roundtable, the Minister of Equality and Equity expressed a commitment to creating conditions so that this population has guaranteed rights, allowing them to carry out their activity with freedom, safety and state support.
Sexuality is shaped by social norms, religious beliefs and cultural narratives. In Colombia, talking openly about sex is uncomfortable for many sectors, but this activity exists and persists despite exclusion.
Recognizing sex work as a social reality is the first step to eradicating institutional violence. It is about transforming social imaginaries where abuse and the lack of institutional response can no longer be the answer.
Education and culture have shaped how we understand sex. Sex work has been judged from a double standard that celebrates male desire but condemns female consent, marginalizing those who practice it.
Sex work moves significant flows of money in formal and informal contexts. Many people find it a viable alternative in the face of precarious, violent or exclusionary labor markets.
Without legal recognition, those who practice this activity are outside social security systems, with no access to pensions or the ability to report exploitation without retaliation.
Government recognition implies public policies with a rights-based approach, built with the voices of those who practice these activities, access to basic services and respect for personal autonomy and decisions.
The goal is to move toward regulation that allows this activity to be carried out with safety, stability and good practices promoted by corporations, collectives and non-profit organizations.
Recognizing sex work as work represents an ethical commitment to human dignity, fundamental rights and a more inclusive Colombia that makes systematically marginalized lives visible.
