Prostitution in Panama is legal and regulated.[1] Prostitutes are required to register and carry identification cards.[2] However, the majority of prostitutes are not registered.[1] There are 2,650 sex workers registered with the government in 2008, but there was no accurate information regarding the total number of persons practising prostitution in the country.[3] Some estimate put the number of unregistered prostitutes at 4,000.[4]
The main area of prostitution in Panama City is Bella Vista.[5][6] Street prostitution also occurs on Avenida Ricardo Arias, Central Avenue and Avenida Perú.[7]
There are many foreign prostitutes in the country, especially from Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia[6] (Panama was part of Colombia until 1903). To work as a prostitute, foreign prostitutes need an "alternadora" visa. As this is stamped into their passport, many work unofficially on tourist visas to avoid effectively having "prostitute" stamped in their passport.[5] Working without the correct visa and being unregistered is an administrative offence not a criminal offence and usually punished with a small fine if caught.[5] Unregisted prostitutes can still access health services at clinics such as the one in Santa Ana, Panama City.[7]
- ^ a b "Sexuality, Poverty and Law Programme". Institute of Development Studies. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ "Is this the time or place to publish the profane?". thepanamanews.com. Archived from the original on 2005-08-29. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
- ^ 2008 Human Rights Report: Panama. State.gov (2009-02-25). Retrieved on 2011-03-30.
- ^ Winner, Don (12 May 2007). "Hookers, Hookers, Everywhere... Sex Tourism in Panama". Panama-Guide. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ a b c "Fantastic Food, Expats, Einstein's Head, And Hookers—Exploring The Streets Of El Cangrejo". Live and Invest Overseas. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ a b Peddicord, Kathleen (6 December 2017). "10 Things To See And Do In Panama City's Rowdiest, Bawdiest Zone". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Panama's rising prostitution pressures health center". Newsroom Panama. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.