Prostitution in Chile is legal, subject to regulation, but related activities such as keeping brothels and pimping are prohibited. Although illegal, brothels are set up in the more remote areas of Chile in ports, mining towns, logging areas or anywhere where there are men working away from home.
The promotion and facilitation procuring and advertising of prostitution is prohibited, [3] as well as everything related to those under 18 although the age of sexual consent for consensual and non-commercial acts for heterosexuals is 14 years. Until male homosexual prostitution was banned as sodomy was considered a crime in Article of the Penal Code.
The same code in articles and sanctions "offences to modesty, morals and good manners", which is been applied to those who perform sexual acts in public of any nature, whether or not there is a commercial purpose. However, prostitution may be an aggravating factor of public order, depending on the criteria of Carabineros. However, police often detain prostitutes usually as a result of complaints by neighbourhood residents on charges of "offences against morality," which could lead to a 50, pesos fine or five days in prison.
The Sanitary Code refers to prostitution in Paragraph II of venereal diseases , which specifically prohibits brothels, but legitimises the existence of prostitution. Chilean law requires sex workers to register with the Health Registry of the Ministry of Health Minsal , and to undergo periodic medical. Sex workers have reported that law is frequently not enforced and there is corruption within the police. Most human trafficking victims are women and minors trafficked internally for sexual exploitation.
Chilean women and girls respond to false job offers and subsequently are subjected to forced prostitution. Inducing a minor below age 18 to have sex in exchange for money or other favours is illegal. In , the Government of Chile estimated that there were approximately 3, children involved in some form of commercial sexual exploitation ; in , UNICEF put the number of child prostitutes much higher, estimating that there were approximately 10, children between the ages of 6 and 18 involved in prostitution.
