Prostitution in El Salvador is not prohibited by national law,[1] but may be prohibited by local municipal ordinances.[2] Municipal ordinances may also prohibit the purchase of sexual services.[2] Related activities such as facilitating, promoting or giving incentives to a person to work as a prostitute (pimping) are illegal. The prostitution of children (those under 18) is also illegal.[1] Brothel ownership, however, is legal.[1] There are no specific laws against human trafficking, but any criminal offence that includes ‘commerce in women or children’ requires sentencing to be increased by 30%.[3]
Those municipalities that do not prohibit sex work often set up zones for sex workers away from schools and churches.[1] In the San Esteban area of San Salvador, 17 brothels were forcibly closed in August 1998 for being too close to schools and churches.[4]
Prostitution is common in the country,[1] especially around "Parque Infantil",[5] in the capital, San Salvador.[6] After the civil war, the demands of the increased military presence in San Salvador caused the number of prostitutes to double to 19,000.[7]
UNAIDS estimated that there were 20,385 sex workers in the country in 2016.[8]
- ^ a b c d e "100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies". Procon. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ a b van Wanrooij, Dennis (2 March 2015). "OTS: Mapping Human Rights Violations Against Sex Workers in El Salvador - Red Umbrella Fund". Red Umbrella Fund. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Prostitution in El Salvador, San Salvador". Dismal World. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "EL SALVADOR: AUTHORITIES ORDER CLOSURE OF BROTHELS". AP Archive. 31 August 1998. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ Flores, Jesus (9 September 2008). "Death and Prostitution at "The Child's Park"". Jesus Flores Fotos. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; El Salvador". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
- ^ Barry, Kathleen (1995). The prostitution of sexuality. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 978-0814712177.
- ^ "Sex workers: Population size estimate - Number, 2016". www.aidsinfoonline.org. UNAIDS. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2018.