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Colombia

In February 2017, 33 sexually exploited minors (5 boys and 25 girls) in the neighborhood of Santa Fe were rescued, in addition to 2 children aged less than 12 years old and 1 pregnant minor. Among them, the authorities were able to identify 2 adolescents reported as missing. They were placed in the care of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (CFWI), who was charged with their protection (El Tiempo, February 13, 2017). The CFWI is specifically charged with the care of minor victims of violence, and attempts to provide them with assistance, have their rights recognized, as well as to raise the awareness of civil society around these issues. For this purpose, it is responsible for the special program Sistema Unico de Información de la Niñez del Sistema Nacional de Bienestar Familiar (526 children in 2005, 203 in 2016). To carry out its mission, it has 211 centers throughout the country, as well as a hotline (línea 141) implemented to report abuse and threats toward children (maltreatment, sexual violence, child labor, etc.). In case of an emergency, the children’s police can also intervene immediately (CFWI website). Police crime statistics show a sharp increase in the number of reports of child pornography and sex tourism. Between 2014 and 2015, the number of crimes reported increased by 385%, most of which were concerning pornography (100 to 463) (Revista Criminalidad, 2017).