Prostitution in Ecuador is legal and regulated , as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18, [1] registered, and works from a licensed brothel. Quito was the first city in Ecuador to regulate prostitution in , requiring prostitutes to be tested weekly for STIs and the results recorded in the "Register of Venereal Disease".
Testing and any necessary treatment was free to the prostitutes. In , 6 hotels used for prostitution were closed down by the authorities in the Historic Centre of Quito. Brothels are known as "chongos" [12] or "licensed centers of tolerance".
There is no law to criminalise sex workers or those who organise prostitutes. Brothels are required to be registered and sex workers licensed.
To obtain a licence "carnet" , the prostitute must undergo a medical examination and be free from syphilis , chlamydia and HIV. The prostitutes must be reexamined every 9 β 15 days and the licence updated.
If the prostitute tests positive for STIs, their licence is suspended or revoked. The licence resembles a passport and contains a photograph of the sex worker. Prostitutes have demanded that the photographs be removed and the details of STI testing encrypted. Street prostitution is dealt with under public order laws.
