A group of deputies from Renovación Nacional presented a bill to penalize the economic exploitation of adult sexual commerce in order to hit the financing of organized crime, particularly the Tren de Aragua.
The initiative, led by deputy Mauro González, seeks to pursue those who profit from the exploitation of third parties, manage digital platforms to offer sexual services or provide properties for these activities. The text also incorporates a criminal offense punishable by a fine for those who pay for sexual services from adults. The project arises after prosecutor Héctor Barros warned about the need to regulate this activity, which represents one of the main sources of income for the Tren de Aragua. “If I close that market to criminal organizations, clearly what I will have is that there will be no interest now in coming to, for example, practice prostitution in Chile,” Barros said. González explained that the proposal aims to close financing spaces for criminal gangs. “In Chile, the sexual market must be sanctioned and regulated, because it is being used by criminal gangs as a source of financing,” he noted. The initiative modifies the Penal Code and Law N°19.913 to include these crimes as a basis for money laundering. The proposal has the support of deputies Juan Carlos Beltrán, Andrés Celis and Eduardo Durán.