This study, set in Medellín, Colombia, builds on previous TWCF-supported research led by Santiago Tobón at Universidad EAFIT that examined the factors influencing adolescent boys’ decisions to join gangs. That earlier work tested a behavioral intervention to dispel myths and present viable alternatives, validating that misperceptions significantly influence vocational decision-making. The new project applies a similar conceptual approach to adolescent girls, who are often recruited through sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Researchers estimate that about 10% of young women in low- to middle-income neighborhoods engage in sex work, especially webcam work, by early adulthood. Though legal in Colombia, this work can involve coercion, financial exploitation, stigma, digital harms, and mental health issues. Many adolescents enter with incomplete or skewed information, then drop out of school, lose peer networks, and report elevated anxiety or depression – impacts with long-term consequences for social mobility and labor market access.

Between April–July 2025, Tobón’s team partnered with the municipal government to survey nearly 5,000 girls across 80 schools and to interview around 60 people linked to the industry. These findings motivate a central question: how can girls be empowered to make more informed, autonomous career decisions when a seemingly flexible, lucrative path may hide deeper harms?

The team will implement a portfolio of intervention models and conduct an adaptive evaluation to identify the “right program for the right age.” This includes:

• A school-based model for early adolescents (grades 7–8), combining vocational orientation, goal-setting, counseling, and comparative information on occupational risks and returns.
• One to two models for older youth (ages 16–24), such as mentorship, digital-safety training, or transition-to-work support.

Three integrated streams (market and risk mapping, large-scale surveys, and a randomized evaluation with 1,200 participants) will track school persistence, mental health, beliefs, aspirations, and entry into sex work. Deliverables include a market-mapping report, baseline data, risk-perception scale, pre-analysis plan, working paper, and policy briefs.