Prostitution in Cape Verde is legal[1] and commonplace.[2][3] There are no prostitution laws on the islands except for those concerning trafficking and child prostitution.[4] UNAIDS estimate there are 1,400 prostitutes in Cape Verde,[5] and many were from Ghana and Senegal before being expelled by the police.[2][6] Some turn to prostitution through poverty.[7]
Sex tourism, including child sex tourism, is a major occurrence in Cape Verde, especially in Santa Maria and the tourist beach resorts on the Cape Verdian island of Sal.[2][3] The islands are also a destination for female sex tourism.[2][8]
Sex trafficking,[9] and child prostitution[7][9] are problems on the islands.
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