Prostitution in the Gambia is widespread but illegal. They often return within a few days. The HIV infection rate for prostitutes is high. Gambia is a popular destination for sex tourism. Sex tourism in the Gambia attract western female tourists eager for sex with younger men. The Gambian Tourist Board plans to change the face of tourism in the country and encourage tourism for wildlife and heritage rather than sex. Child prostitution is a problem in the Gambia. The Gambian government is taking an active stance against it.
The Gambia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on 3 August , and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in September , which mandates the government to protect children from sexual child abuse.
The main legislation is the Tourism Offences Act, , which is describes a child as anyone under eighteen, even though the legal age of consent is sixteen years. The punishment is a fine, imprisonment of a maximum of two years and disqualification from tourism related work for ten years. The law states that hotel operators can face a fine and five years in prison if they knowingly allow child prostitution on their property.
Child prostitution is particularly prevalent around the Tourist Development Area, as well as in Kololi, Senegambia and Pipeline. Some girls are sent to be prostitutes by their parents to support their families. Within The Gambia, girls and, to a lesser extent, boys are subjected to sex trafficking.
The majority of these victims are subjected to sexual exploitation by child sex tourists, primarily from Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Canada.
