Virgins for sale in Colombia in 'world's biggest brothel'
Summary
TLDRThe transcript reveals the dark underbelly of Medellin, Colombia, where the legacy of Pablo Escobar's drug trade has morphed into a thriving sex industry. Despite Escobar's death, the city grapples with sex tourism and the exploitation of young girls, including the shocking trade in virgins. The script follows a journalist's investigation into the city's red-light district, where even children are not safe from gangs seeking to profit from their innocence. It also features an interview with a convicted British sex offender and the harrowing account of a survivor, highlighting the urgent need for action to protect Medellin's most vulnerable.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ Medellin, Colombia, was once notorious for the drug baron Pablo Escobar and extreme violence in the 1990s.
- 🔫 The city's legacy of violence has contributed to a thriving sex industry, with even taxi drivers involved.
- 🚷 Prostitution is legal in Medellin, but the age of consent is 18, leading to exploitation of underage individuals.
- 💸 The decline of the drug trade has pushed gangs to seek new income sources, including the trafficking of young girls.
- 👨👧 Mothers in Medellin live in fear as gangs target their young daughters for sexual exploitation.
- 🌐 Authorities have spent millions to clean up Medellin's image, but the problem of virgin trafficking persists.
- 🗣️ Local citizens have taken matters into their own hands to raise awareness of the issue through graffiti and activism.
- 🤝 Gang members, who control the barrios, are involved in the sex trade and are shown grooming young girls in the script.
- 🇬🇧 Paul Brailsford, a British citizen, was convicted for having sex with underage girls in Colombia and is serving a 20-year sentence.
- 👧 Naomi, one of Brailsford's victims, was only 12 years old at the time of the abuse and was groomed by him.
- 🛡️ The authorities' failure to address the issue has left mothers to fight for their daughters' safety and future.
Q & A
Who is Pablo Escobar and what is his connection to Medellin?
-Pablo Escobar was a notorious drug baron who ruled Medellin, Colombia through extreme violence in the 1990s, making it one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
How has the legacy of Pablo Escobar affected Medellin's current situation?
-The easy cash from the drug trade during Escobar's reign has fueled a huge sex industry in Medellin, leading to issues like underage prostitution and exploitation.
What is the legal age of consent in Colombia?
-The legal age of consent in Colombia is 18 years old.
How do the gangs in Medellin exploit young girls?
-The gangs groom young girls by inviting them to parties, giving them gifts, and eventually involving them in the sex trade.
What is the significance of the red-light district in Medellin mentioned in the script?
-The red-light district in Medellin is significant as it is a hub for the sex industry, where prostitution is legal but the age of consent is 18, leading to exploitation.
Why are mothers in Medellin living in fear according to the script?
-Mothers in Medellin are living in fear because the gangs have plans to exploit their young daughters, including selling their virginity for profit.
What is the role of taxi drivers in the sex industry in Medellin as per the script?
-Taxi drivers in Medellin are involved in the sex industry, possibly by facilitating or promoting the trade.
What is the stance of the local authorities on the issue of virgins being sold in Medellin?
-The local authorities have reportedly received information about virgins being sold but have not conducted investigations, leading to community members taking matters into their own hands.
Who is Paul Brailsford and what crime is he convicted of?
-Paul Brailsford is a British national convicted of having sex with children in Colombia. He was arrested with child pornography and accused of sleeping with underage girls.
How does the script describe the situation of young girls in Medellin's barrios?
-The script describes a dire situation for young girls in Medellin's barrios, where they are at risk of being exploited by gangs for profit, and their innocence is being taken advantage of.
What is the current state of Medellin in terms of violence and safety?
-While Medellin is less violent than it used to be, it is still not a safe place for young girls due to the ongoing issues with gangs and exploitation.
Outlines
🚔 Medellin's Dark Underbelly: A Legacy of Narco-Crime and Exploitation
This paragraph discusses the notorious past of Medellin, Colombia, which was once controlled by the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. Despite his death, the city continues to grapple with the aftermath of his reign, including a thriving sex industry fueled by the illicit cash from drug trades. The narrative focuses on the red-light district and the disturbing reality of child exploitation. It reveals the ease with which gangs groom young girls, including those below the legal age of consent, for sexual exploitation, echoing Escobar's own predilections. The city's efforts to clean up its image and move past its violent history are contrasted with the harsh reality faced by its most vulnerable residents, particularly young girls and their mothers who live in constant fear of the gangs that control their neighborhoods.
🔍 Inside Medellin's Gang-Controlled Sex Trade: The Hunt for Virgins
The second paragraph delves into the operations of Medellin's main gang, which has inherited Pablo Escobar's criminal empire. The gang's activities include drug dealing, extortion, and the sex trade. The narrative describes how the gang members easily approach and groom young girls, demonstrating the shocking ease with which they can manipulate vulnerable teenagers into providing their contact information. The paragraph also includes an interview with Paul Brailsford, a British national convicted of sex crimes against minors in Colombia. Brailsford discusses his arrest and conviction, expressing his innocence and claiming he was unaware of the girls' true ages, highlighting the complexity and tragedy of the situation faced by both the victims and the perpetrators.
📢 The Fight for Innocence: Mothers and Survivors Confront Medellin's Exploitation
The final paragraph shifts focus to the personal stories of survivors and the mothers fighting for their daughters' safety. It contrasts the city's efforts to appear safer and more welcoming to tourists with the ongoing danger faced by young girls in the barrios. The narrative includes an interview with a survivor, Naomi, who was groomed and abused by Paul Brailsford when she was only 12. Her account, along with the mother's perspective, underscores the urgent need for action against the exploitation of children. The paragraph concludes with a call to close down the operations that prey on innocence, reflecting the ongoing struggle against the dark undercurrents of Medellin's past and present.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Medellin
💡Pablo Escobar
💡Drug Wars
💡Sex Industry
💡Red-light District
💡Prostitution
💡Age of Consent
💡Gangs
💡Virgins
💡Grooming
💡Legal Age of Consent
Highlights
Medellin, Colombia was made infamous by drug baron Pablo Escobar and his reign of extreme violence in the 1990s.
Despite Escobar's death, Medellin continues to grapple with the legacy of its violent past.
The drug trade's easy cash has fueled a massive sex industry in Medellin.
Prostitution is legal in Medellin, but the age of consent is 18, leading to a complex legal situation.
The demand for virgins has created a shocking new trade, causing fear among mothers in Medellin.
Gangs in Medellin have shifted from drug trade to controlling the sex trade, including virgin trafficking.
Authorities have spent millions to clean up Medellin's image and attract tourists.
Locals have taken matters into their own hands due to lack of official action against virgin trafficking.
Gang members demonstrate how easily they can identify and groom young girls for exploitation.
The life expectancy of gang members is low, and they operate with a sense of having nothing to lose.
Paul Brailsford, a British citizen, was convicted for having sex with underage girls in Colombia.
Brailsford claims innocence, stating he believed the girls were older than they were.
Naomi, one of Brailsford's victims, was only 12 when he groomed and abused her.
The legal age of consent in Colombia is 18, a fact that Brailsford seems to overlook.
The authorities' failure to confront the virgin trade leaves mothers to fight for their daughters' safety.
While Medellin is safer for tourists, young girls in the barrios face exploitation by gangs.
Transcripts
Medellin Colombia a city made famous by one man
the drug baron Pablo Escobar for
over a decade he ruled these streets through extreme
violence in the 90s shootings, car bombings and random murders made it by
far the most dangerous city in the world
Escobar is long dead
but the years of choas have left the darkness in Medillin's soul I have been
following Colombia's drug wars for 15 years that time most of the violence has
moved to Mexico
but this city is still suffering from its narco legacy
For years the easy cash of the
drug trade has fuelled a huge sex industry even the taxi drivers are in
on i t
They say here if you put a roof on Medellin
it would the largest brothel in the world
this is Medellin's red-light district
Daniella has been walking these streets for five years since she was 11
Prostitution is legal here but the age of consent is 18
But some visitors are unsatisfied with just young girls
Pablo Escobar famously likes sleeping with virgins
now for a premium price sex tourists can do the same
as the drug trade fell away
the gangs are that controlled these barrios look for a
fresh source of income
this shocking new trade means mothers
all across Medellin live in fear
Her daughter is just 11 years old
But her mother says the gangs already have plans for her
This is not the image of Medellin the authorities want to promote
they have spent millions cleaning up the city attracting visitors and trying to
show it has moved on from the past
The mayor told me that they had reports of
virgins being sold but had not investigated - so local people have taken
matters into their own hands this graffiti says it is not a rumor there are
buying and selling girls for sexual exploitation 'they' means the gangs
The gangs control everything in the barrios including the trade in virgins
For weeks I've been trying to persuade them to talk they finally agreed but only if
we don't reveal their identities these men are part of the city's main gang
they inherited Pablo Escobar's Empire - they control these streets - their
business is drugs extortion and the sex trade
tonight they're keen to show me how easy it is for them to find new virgins
Medellin is less violent than it used to be but still the life expectancy of
these gang members is not high they feel they have nothing to lose they spoke to
young girls and start talking to them - they invite them to a party a couple of
minutes later the girls give them their phone numbers - it was incredible to see
how the gang members stopped to 14 year old girls and groomed them in ten
minutes they got their phone numbers and possibly in a couple of days they will
call they will take them out shopping buy them a mobile phone in a week or two
those two girls miss all those virgins half an hour later I meet up with the
gang members
In these men's violent and cynical world the two young
girls were nothing more than a way to make money - I wanted to know what kind of
man would come to Colombia to have sex with girls this young
Paul Brailsford is the only
Britain convicted of having sex with children here in Colombia in 2011 he was
arrested in a hotel room with child pornography and accused of sleeping with
two girls aged 12 and 14 - he didn't have a gang to groom the virgins for him he
did it himself - he's now spending 20 years in prison I managed to get him to
agree to an interview from inside the jail we know the sentence and you
know and the charges the were put against against you what do you have to
say about that well basically I'm still fighting to get out I'm innocent
yes you're innocent you didn't abuse oh no no no unfortunately here there are
many underage hookers yes okay and I got caught in a sting I thought they were
older yeah yeah a problem there were 12 years 12 years old one and the other one
14 and a half yeah okay both tall yeah yes tall as you yeah very well-endowed yeah yes
so you thought were they were over 18 yes I thought old enough no problem what
he didn't know is that the day before I had gone to see one of the girls
he was convicted of abusing the legal age of consent in Colombia is 18 Naomi
is now 16 years old - when Paul Brailsford slept with her she was just 12 she told
me she was not a prostitute that he groomed her after seeing her on the
beach and then abused her over several months
I mean, she's 16 now and for me
she doesn't look 18 - still
so if I think back and three and a half years ago when she was 12 would she have looked...
this is your opinion yeah okay no problem
yeah so you didn't think she was 12
no your opinion my opinion yeah
So you didn't so you didn't think she was 12 your opinion my opinion and that
was it yes and do you have anything to tell them do I have anything to tell
them yeah if you had them in front of you
Gloria and her two daughters what will tell them - i don't know -
close it down close it down now close it
Paul Brailsford
is one of just three foreigners in jail in Colombia for these crimes
Upi don't have anything to say to 12 year old girl that you abused and
the 14 year old girl that you abused?
with the authorities failing to confront this growing trade it is left to mothers
like mothers to fight for their daughter's futures Medellin might be
a safer place for tourists nowadays but not for young girls growing up in the
barrios among the gangs who are exploiting their innocence for profit
Guillermo Galdos Channel 4 News in Medellin.
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