Prostitution in Trinidad and Tobago

During the slave period, slaves could sometimes be hired as prostitutes.[14] After the abolition of slavery (1838), many mulatto women became prostitutes or brothel madams, often moving from rural areas to towns such as Port of Spain.[14]

In an effort to control the spread of STIs the Contagious Diseases Ordinance was introduced in 1869.[14] This was based in the similar British Act of 1864. Prostitutes were required to be registered and have regular examinations for STIs.[14] The ordinance was suspended in 1872 and reintroduced in 1875.[14] The register showed a significant number of prostitutes to be working in Port of Spain and San Fernando.[15] Unscrupulous policemen took advantage of the ordinance to demand sexual favours. In Port of Spain, a Sergeant Holder was given unlimited power to enforce the ordinance. He abused his position and, following an investigation brought about by a complaint, was dismissed from the force.[14] The ordinance was abolished in 1887.[14]

The sugar slump of the 1880s[15] brought many more women to the towns, turning to prostitution to try and make a living.[14] At this time, Port of Spain was reported to have more prostitutes than any other town in the West Indies.[15] Most of the taverns in the town were brothels, and the best brothel was reputed to be the "British Coffee House", run by a Mrs Peery.[14] Many of the prostitutes were underage and lived on the streets.[15]

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, more women turned to prostitution. In his book, Calypso and Society, Gordon Rohlehr noted: "Some singers, indeed, presented the vocation of prostitution as the only alternative to that of housewifery, and warned young girls against leaving their mothers' homes."[16]

The Report of West India Royal Commission (Moyne Report) (1960) concluded: "Commercialised prostitution is not common as a profession in the West Indies. The high percentage of promiscuity in the Colonies puts prostitution into the category of a luxury profession. When this profession is followed, it is usually for economic reasons and because the wages earned by the woman in her other occupation are often too low to obtain the necessities of life for her."[16]

Prostitution was a boom industry in the 1940s after the allied troops, especially American, were stationed on the islands during WW2,[17][18][19] especially around Port of Spain Arima.[20] In addition to the 100,000 troops,[21] the construction workers building the new American bases at Chaguaramas and Waller Field[17] added to the demand for prostitution.[20]

The spread of STIs was a problem in this era. The Governor of Trinidad and Tobago considered licensing the brothels in the country to ensure proper testing of the women, but this was never brought into force.[21] American Lt. Col. Fox recalled that when he visited in 1941, he was assured that every taxi driver could take him to a house of pleasure with any race of woman he desired.[21]

After the closure of the US Air base at Waller Field in 1949, the demand for prostitution dropped.[19]

Sociologist Lloyd Braithwaite noted in his 1953 survey Social Stratification in Trinidad wrote: "In the lower-class sections of the town many well-known prostitutes abide, even though technically some have no fixed place of abode...the straitened and precarious economic circumstances that face working-class girls, particularly in the towns, must constantly make prostitution a temptation to them."[16]

The demand for prostitutes further dropped when the US Naval base at Chaguaramas was scaled back in 1956 and finally closed in 1963.[19][22]

Tobago is known as a destination for female sex tourism.[8] European and American women come to the island seeking local men.[7] There is an organised tourist trade for the sex tourism; sometimes a local male is included in the price.[7]

In 2016, Shadae Lamar Smith directed the short film The Resort based on sex tourism in Tobago. It was featured on Issa Rae's YouTube channel.[26]