A Dutchman who presented himself as an influencer paraded with a woman in her underwear in the streets of Medellín. The mayor asked the immigration office to expel him.
On the night of October 8, some videos shot in El Poblado, a touristic area of Medellín, became controversial.
As people had dinner, a man was walking with a woman followed by a cameraman. While the man was parading wearing a suit, the woman was in underwear and apparently tied by some sort of a strap or a leash at the neck.
Colombian media reported the man presented himself as a Dutch influencer. The police intervened and asked the couple to leave.
In a video recorded by a woman confronting the so-called influencer and asking him to respect the Colombians and not to promote prostitution, he answered he wanted to show another facet of the country. “Every day, I offer all the money I make in Europe and I give papayas for free in the street, to show people that a guy like me can come here without being threatened or killed.”
But some Colombians who witnessed the scene didn’t perceive it that way and were more offended that the videos would promote sex tourism and show disrespect to the women.
A bad image of Medellín
The scene was captured by a Colombian journalist from the Radio Nacional de Colombia who happened to be there. He reported that shopkeepers rebuked the situation. A Colombian model with 210,000 followers on Instagram also shared the video and condemned the image the man gave about Colombian women.
And the provocative walk created so much outrage that the Medellín mayor, Daniel Quintero, reacted and asked the immigration office to expel the Dutchman from Colombia who “damages the image of Medellín and mistreats women of Medellín.” It was unknown whether the man was an immigrant or a tourist.
Because, as Medellín is getting rid of its reputation tied to drug trafficking, authorities also fight its image as a destination for sex tourism.
A representative of Medellín confirmed on W Radio Colombia that they were concerned of this trend as they found cases of sex tourism in several districts of the city. “We found more than 67 minors, boys and girls who were engaged in the activity of sexual exploitation. The exploitation of children and adolescents was allowed in some hotels.”
The radio also interviewed the woman who walked alongside the Dutchman half-naked. The model, who publishes adult content, considered it more as an art performance rather than the promotion of prostitution. She also said the idea was hers but wouldn’t do it again in public without proper authorization.
