Global Progress Towards Ending the Sexual Exploitation of Children
A global problem requires truly global solutions to address the sexual exploitation of children.
Indicators
Age of Consent
No
The age of sexual consent is 14 years for both girls and boys. The national legislation does not provide for a close-in-age exemption.
Analysis of country legislation on age of sexual consent, 2024
Extraterritoriality & Extradition
Partial
Active and passive extraterritoriality is provided for all crimes punished with at least one year of imprisonment (including all SEC-related crimes) but only when the perpetrator is in Colombian territory. Universal jurisdiction is applied to all crimes punished with at least three years of imprisonment (excluding political crimes) when the perpetrator is in Colombian territory and for which a request for extradition has been denied. Double criminality is not required.
Extradition requires a minimum gravity of four years of imprisonment as well as an official indictment or equivalent resolution to have been issued by the requesting country. Double criminality is also required.
SECTT Legal Checklist Colombia, 2020
CSAM Definition
Not Yet Assessed
Background Check Required
Yes
The national legislation establishes a mandatory background check requirement for every person hired for a job, position or profession in the private or public sector that involves direct and usual relationship with minors. This rule also applies for volunteers. The background check is also required for people working in the restaurant and tourism sector in customer-facing positions. This law also prohibits convicted sex offenders to hold positions in both public and private settings involving or facilitating contact with children.
SECTT Legal Checklist Colombia, 2020
National Commitments
Partial
Colombia has ratified the CRC, the OPSC, the Trafficking Protocol and the ILO Convention No. 182.
Colombia has also ratified the Council of Europe's Budapest Convention.
Colombia has not ratified the OPIC, the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics nor the Council of Europe's Lanzarote Convention.
SECTT Legal Checklist Colombia, 2020
Child Advocacy Centers
Not Yet Assessed
SEC Police Unit
Not Yet Assessed
Protection Standards Travel and Tourism
Yes
Colombia has implemented a national code for child protection in travel and tourism as a binding requirement for industry operators.
SECTT Legal Checklist Colombia, 2020
Public SEC Case Data
Not Yet Assessed
Age of Consent Law is Appropriate
The age of sexual consent for both males and females is 18 and a close in age exemption (up to 3 years) is provided for consensual sexual relationships between adolescents.
The age of sexual consent is the legally defined age at which a person is considered mature enough to agree to sexual activity. The age of sexual consent varies across jurisdictions around the world and there is no international legal instrument establishing it, however various forms of advocacy have encouraged States to establish a minimum age under which engaging in sexual contact is considered a criminal offence. This is intended to prevent sexual contact with children and to prevent argument that the child consented as a defence.
Often national provisions related to the age of sexual consent include an exception, known as a close-in-age exemption, making consensual sexual activities between young people lawful if the partners are of similar ages and the age difference is not higher than a certain number of years.
To ensure that cases of child sexual exploitation do not go unpunished, ECPAT advocates for the age of sexual consent to be set at 18 for both males and females with a close-in-age exemption of 2-3 years provided in order to ensure young people are not penalised for consensual sexual acts with peers. The age from which the exemption applies should be established by States but may begin for young people somewhere between 12 and 16 years of age.
Yes The national legislation explicitly indicates that the age of sexual consent unequivocally is 18 for both males and females, with a close-in-age exemption for sexual acts between peers (of up to 3 years) is provided by law.