Bolivia’s Red Light District
Bolivia is known for its abundant resources, but it is still one of the poorest ones in Latin America. Some estimates say that over 60% of the population barely make ends meet, and poverty is something you’ll experience if you visit the country.
But there is another reason many pick Bolivia as their travel destination. Cities like El Alto and La Paz are infamously known for their red-light districts and prostitution. For everyone looking to hire a prostitute in these cities, the process is easy and hassle-free.
In these areas, there are dozens of different brothels you can visit, and the business is booming. Each night, you can see a variety of people from high schoolers to older men looking to have some fun.
Meeting sex workers is simple, and you get to have sex on the spot. After that, it will be like nothing happened. Brothels are easy to recognize, and you’ll be able to hear loud music while clients parade around trying to haggle.
Among the busiest and biggest brothels is La Casa Verde or the Green House, where you will encounter countless people waiting for their turn to have sex. Behind each door, there is a room with a single bed and a small table. Women will wait outside their rooms wearing some attractive lingerie or nothing at all.
Most girls in these brothels look like they are in their twenties, but it’s not difficult to find younger ones as well. Seventeen or even fifteen-year-old girls are a common sight in these red-light districts. Finally, red-light district prices are between $6 and $8 for a twenty-minute session.
The Bars in Bolivia’s Red Light District
Besides prostitution, Bolivia always had a love affair with alcohol. However, drinking in public is illegal. So if you want to have a drink or five, you should visit a bar. Unfortunately, these are rare in this country, but there are hundreds located near red-light districts.
Locals have had trouble with bars in the past decades, and some of them even tried taking the matter into their own hands. In 2007, local folk destroyed over 50 bars, claiming that these establishments were ruining their lives. One of Bolivia’s significant problems is underage drinking. That is why many have organized protests multiple times in an attempt to make a change.
But today, you can still find numerous bars you can visit if you enjoy drinking, and adolescents from all over Bolivia are using these to prostitute themselves. While many still have problems with these establishments and claim that they are havens for criminal activities, they remain open all over the country.
Prostitution
Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bolivia. That means it is allowed only in licensed brothels. Also, all prostitutes must register themselves. They also must undergo tests and health checks every twenty days to ensure that they are healthy. That way, the country combats the rise in sexually transmitted diseases.
The police can request a prostitute to show their papers, and they need to confirm that the person is registered and have attended a health clinic in the past twenty days.
But the reality is a lot darker than it seems. Society still stigmatizes prostitutes, and many blame them for everything, including the rise of HIV-positive cases in the country.
The primary problem is likely that the average age when Bolivian girls enter the world of prostitution is sixteen. Underage prostitution is a major issue in urban areas. Barely any of the children forced into prostitution have an education. On top of that, their chances of getting out are slim, despite them wanting to exit.
Every third girl has between one and five children, and most of them use streets, brothels, pubs, and bars as their bases of operation.
Due to social problems and economics, young Bolivian girls are easy targets for sex trafficking all over the country.
Sex Toys
If you don’t want to risk or meet a prostitute, you can always visit one of the many sex shops in the country. Most of these are located in urban areas. And since sexuality and sex are not a problem in Bolivia, you’ll be able to try out many different adult toys.
The most popular toys are vibrators and dildos, which are excellent for experimenting solo or with a partner. Also, more and more people are interested in anal play, so butt plugs are more popular than ever.
You can also get cock rings or even prostate massagers. However, since Bolivia is not exactly the sex toy capital of the world, you might have problems finding something less common.
But if you are looking for popular toys, you won’t have any issues finding them in cities like La Paz, Sucre, or Santa Cruz.
Drugs in Bolivia
“We don’t have equal rights and education, but child prostitution and drugs are blooming” might be Bolivia’s moto. Narcotics mostly revolve around coca crops, which are used to make cocaine. Ever since the eighties, Bolivia’s most lucrative economic activity was coca.
The country was the second-largest grower of this plant, and data shows that Bolivia was supplying almost fifteen percent of the entire cocaine market in the U.S.
Growing coca in Bolivia is legal, and chewing leaves or drinking tea from this plant is almost a tradition in some parts of the country. While processed plant or cocaine is still illegal, the country decriminalized possession of up to fifty grams. The only things that remain illegal in Bolivia (at least when it comes to cocaine) are sale and transport.
Former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, started fighting corruption and drug trafficking. He even received funds from Russia to help facilitate the country’s anti-drug actions.
Gay and Lesbian Scene
When it comes to the gay and lesbian scene in Bolivia, the situation is challenging. While both male and female same-sex activities are entirely legal, it is not rare to witness discrimination. That happens despite Bolivia’s constitution banning all types of discrimination based on one’s gender identity or sexual orientation. Interestingly, that makes Bolivia one of the few countries that offer constitutional protections for the LGBT community.
However, there have been cases of discrimination, nevertheless. In 2017, reports say that over sixty people who were part of the LGBT community were murdered. Out of all of these cases, the state only investigated fourteen, and none of them resulted in sentencing.
It sometimes seems that for every step forward the country takes, it goes two steps back. While same-sex activity has been legal since 1832, in 2010, the government said they had no plans to legalize same-sex marriages. Moreover, the constitution bans adoption for same-sex couples as well.
Escort Service
With prostitution legal, escort services don’t seem like a problem for the country. There are many websites offering escort in Bolivia. However, since many people often confuse terms prostitution and escort, let us elaborate.
An escort can be either entertainment or a companion. Their services don’t have to involve sexual activities. The idea behind an escort is to find a person to have fun with or companionship during your day or even week.
While they can provide spicy services, it doesn’t need to extend to sex. Escort workers usually don’t include sex in their offer. Sometimes, it may happen if the night goes well, but the basic idea is to provide company, a date, or even intellectual stimulation.
The primary goal of prostitution is sex, and prostitutes rarely offer anything else. Another major difference is that the prostitute will provide satisfaction quickly and effectively so that she could satisfy as many clients as possible. Escorts, on the other hand, take their time, and they can accompany you to the opera or on a date as well.
Summary
Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bolivia. There are so many sex districts in the country, especially in urban areas. But the major problem here is child prostitution and human trafficking. On average, prostitutes start at the age of sixteen, and most of them are uneducated.
Another problem you might encounter in Bolivia is drugs. Cultivating coca plants is legal to some extent, and the only illegal part is selling or transporting. Finally, members of the LGBT community might face some challenges in Bolivia as well. While same-sex activities are legal, marriage and adoption are still not available in this country.