INAU reported that more than 400 cases were detected in 2020, and authorities are concerned about this situation because it is often associated with the so-called smokeless industry and foreign investment ventures.

INAU President Pablo Abdala said this is a ‘growing phenomenon’ both in Uruguay and the world, so action must be taken to eradicate it, and ‘there is clearly certain prevalence in certain border areas.’

In order to ‘anticipate these problems,’ this agreement seeks the creation of preventive protocols and how to behave in these situations.

The recently appointed Minister of Tourism, Tabare Viera, said that technical teams are preparing an action plan to outline a national policy against sexual exploitation of minors together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

On Wednesday, Uruguay reopened the borders for foreigners who own properties here, most of them Argentinians who travel to the neighboring country on vacation, and is planning to extend access to tourists from all over the world as of November 1, with the aim of recovering the economic sector most depressed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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