Prostitution in Ecuador is legal and regulated , as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18, [ 1 ] registered, and works from a licensed brothel. Quito was the first city in Ecuador to regulate prostitution in , requiring prostitutes to be tested weekly for STIs. The results were recorded in the "Register of Venereal Disease". Testing and any necessary treatment were free to the prostitutes.
In , 6 hotels used for prostitution were closed down by the authorities in the Historic Centre of Quito. Brothels are known as "chongos" [ 12 ] or "licensed centers of tolerance". There is no law to criminalise sex workers or those who organise prostitutes.
Brothels are required to be registered and sex workers are licensed. To obtain a licence "carnet" , the prostitute must undergo a medical examination and be free from syphilis , chlamydia and HIV. The prostitutes must be reexamined every 9 β 15 days and the licence updated. If the prostitute tests positive for STIs, their licence is suspended or revoked. The licence resembles a passport and contains a photograph of the sex worker.
Prostitutes have demanded that the photographs be removed and the details of STI testing encrypted. Street prostitution is dealt with under public order laws. The women locked themselves in a brothel for a week to obtain their demands. The success led to an increase in membership.
Organisations have also been set up in other parts of the country. Child prostitution is a widely recognised problem, [ 18 ] especially on the seaport of Esmeraldas.
