New Technologies Complicate Monitoring and Control of Sexual Services in Chihuahua City

Santiago de la Peña Grajeda, Chihuahua's City Hall Secretary, commented that due to new technologies, the areas where sexual services are exercised have decreased considerably and have moved to the Internet and social networks, which are very complicated to monitor and control.

He says that "street sex," which refers to the best-known prostitutes in places like Juarez, Progreso, and Cuarta as well as those in regulated nightclubs, has made customers less interested in other options. So has the urbanism that has grown in places like the Judicial District and some stores, cafes, and restaurants in the so-called tolerance zone.

The most recent report from the city says that they have 289 sex workers, but it is thought that more than 2,000 such persons use the network to advertise their services.

According to some pages such as Mileroticos, Adultguía, and Sokka, which are throughout the republic, there is a database by state and municipality of people who provide their sexual services; however, not all promotional ads identify people as well as having a health card.

Social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, Twitter, and TikTok are also popular places to advertise. Filters have been made to avoid this type of ad, but they usually hide the trade with photos and contact publications.

Because of new technologies, the areas where the service is done have shrunk a lot, and it is now very hard to keep track of and control.

For security and privacy reasons, most promotional images are taken with the face hidden. However, according to comments from users who have used the service, it is not always what they ask for; some photos are not real; they do not have a license; and some do not meet the 18-year-old requirement.

But some of them also guarantee the service in case they are not the person in the photo, or they take pictures in known motels and hotels in the city to prove their veracity.

The problem is that other means, such as websites and social networks, do not guarantee that it is a service, so there is a risk for both the person who hires and the person who provides the service due to a lack of knowledge.

In addition, since it is not known if some commercial sex providers have any sexually transmitted diseases, there is no regulation for these ads, and it is complicated to identify them, so the risk is high.

In the meantime, the authority is always checking on the tolerance zones to make sure they are clean and in good shape since they are considered vulnerable because of their jobs and how often they interact with strangers.