On Instagram and TikTok, Cape Verde looks like a corner of heaven: white sand beaches, turquoise waters that seem unreal, sensual dances to Afro rhythms, wide smiles and cocktails under palm trees. In the photos, it’s just happiness. In reality — it’s much more.
Under the bright Atlantic sun, between luxury resorts and live music, hides a world that tourists look at without seeing. There, the holidays “dreamy” they intertwine with stories of poverty, promises and young bodies often put up for exchange.
Cape Verde, the archipelago located just a few hours’ flight from Europe, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the west coast of the African continent, has become the new pole of sex tourism. It’s not just the girls there who are trapped in an economy of vulnerability, but also the boys—many of them barely teenagers—who discover that beauty and attention from strangers can be turned into survival.
The beaches that in the viral clips shine in the sunset light hide stories with protagonists of only 14 – 15 years. Young people who dance, smile, flirt, and who, behind those images, live a different kind of reality — one where intimacy becomes a path to a better life.
For tourists, Cape Verde is an exotic paradise. For many who live there, it is a scene where foreigners’ holidays feed on inequality and desperation. Under the promise “African hospitality”an informal industry was born that is based not only on desire, but also on helplessness — a world where adolescence is sold for the price of a plane ticket.
A short clip posted by a Spanish woman (SEE VIDEO) in early October exploded on social media, revealing the disturbing truth of sex tourism in Cape Verde and calling exotic island vacations into question: “This seems to be the only place with a higher rate of male prostitutes than female prostitutes.”
The hidden exotic paradise of tourism in Cape Verde Photo Cape Verde Experience
Viral Phenomenon: “The Western Union Boys”
On social media, Cape Verde looks like a carefree paradise: young people dance, laugh, tan and flirt under the tropical sun, and viral clips are full of fire emojis, jokes and funny comments. But behind the smiles and music, a phenomenon of prostitution that is hard to ignore is unfolding before the eyes of the world: teenagers, especially boys, offer companionship or intimate relationships in exchange for money, gifts or promises of a better future.
In local slang, they are called “western union guys” — a label that captures the subtle economic mechanism that shapes their lives. After tourists leave, many continue to receive money or gifts, maintaining long-distance ties that deepen vulnerability.
Many of the teenagers involved in these relationships are selling their attention to adult women mostly from western European countries. The economic and social differences between the parties are obvious.
Male Prostitution vs. female prostitution. Beyond Flirting: Addiction and Social Pressure
“We have 17- or 18-year-old boys who have already been with several tourists. They get sneakers, phones, money. But there is also a huge emotional burden. Many end up trapped in addictive relationships.” explains Milagros García, a nun with over two decades of experience in Mindelo, quoted by El Español.
This reality is not just about seasonal pleasures or fleeting flirtations. For many of the young people involved, every message or gesture of attention becomes a bargaining chip, and the line between choice and coercion quickly blurs.
“Girls tell us about social pressure: their friends get new phones and expensive clothes and they feel the need to get into the same dynamic. Some start as early as 14 or 15,” adds the missionary.
Thus, exploitation is not only a gender or age problem, but a complex social phenomenon, fueled by inequality, the desire to keep up with others and the visible temptation of European luxury.
For tourists, bright clips and photos create the impression of a carefree vacation. For “the western union boys” but also for the girls, however, the smiles and the dancing pay with emotional stress, addiction and the loss of fragile teenage years.
Europe sends tourists, and social networks ignite desires
Low-cost flights and constant promotion of the archipelago on social networks have turned Cape Verde into a magnet for European tourists. On the platforms, the islands are presented as the perfect place for “romantic getaways, stag parties or university adventures” — a paradise where you can live it up, but on the cheap.
Blogs, influencers and travel agencies sell an image of freedom and tropical seduction, almost completely ignoring the local reality: a place where poverty and lack of prospects give rise to dependent relationships. In reality, the same dream beaches hide stories that no one films.
The report of the NGO Morabi from 2023 documented “exchange relations between foreign women and teenagers in Sal and Mindelo”and local missionaries confirm that the phenomenon is constantly growing, fueled by economic differences and the absence of alternatives for the island’s youth.
In a world where inequality mixes with luxury vacations, teenagers become vulnerable to exploitation—even when everything seems consensual. “Not all relationships involve exploitation, but the lines blur when there are large differences in age, purchasing power and life opportunities. Besides, many women don’t consider themselves clients of prostitution. I think they met someone special on vacation. But when they pay hotel bills, buy gifts or send money regularly, they are involved in an unequal relationship.” explains Yolanda Cruz, a specialist in West African sex tourism.
Local NGOs try to offer alternatives: scholarships, workshops, psychological support for all these young people and teenagers (girls and boys) at risk. But resources are few and the phenomenon of prostitution, especially child prostitution, is expanding faster than the system can react.
Cape Verde: the beauty that hides an economy of despair
Beyond filters and tropical rhythms, raw truths lurk: emotional dependence, economic vulnerability, and fragile boundaries between desire and survival. In Cape Verde, exotic holidays are no longer just about sun and sea. They are about the stark contrast between luxury and deprivation, between the tourist’s dream and the unseen struggle of those who live there.
A quarter of the archipelago’s population lives below the poverty line, and youth unemployment exceeds 20%. In a place where opportunities are scarce, the body and attention become resources. For many teenagers, a relationship with a foreign tourist is not just an adventure — it’s a life strategy, sometimes even a chance for escape.
“For many young people, being with a tourist means covering their expenses, continuing their studies or helping their family. Some say it’s their choice, but behind these relationships there’s always the same lack of alternatives. And they’ve come to see it as something normal.”says an international volunteer from the island of Sal.
“There are tourists who come specifically for relationships with young people. Others do not recognize it, but they get involved in such dynamics. Some women continue the long-distance relationship by sending money monthly”explains Milagros García López.
Thus, the tropical dream of tourists becomes, for the locals, a splendid setting that hides a daily struggle for dignity.
Between vacation and responsibility
The sun sets over the Atlantic as the light melts onto the fine sand. Here, the vacation seems perfect — a corner of paradise where worries disappear and reality seems suspended.
But beyond this image, hides a truth that is hard to face: the beauty of the islands has become a currency between hope and despair. The discovery of this truth completely transforms the meaning of a “exotic getaways” – because paradise in photos is not always innocent.
What happens when a romantic vacation or a fleeting flirtation becomes unintentionally part of a system of inequality and vulnerability? Behind every smile can be stories of poverty, addiction, shame and forced choices.
For local authorities, acknowledging the phenomenon would mean admitting a deep wound: the inability to protect their young people. And for the European media, sex tourism in Cape Verde is an almost taboo subject, hidden under perfect images and 15-second clips that show only the bright side of reality.
Sex tourism: an often ignored global reality
Although Cape Verde is one of the most publicized cases, female sex tourism is not limited to the African Atlantic. The phenomenon spans several continents:
- West Africa: The Gambia, Senegal and Kenya attract foreign women seeking relationships with local men, often young and economically vulnerable.
- Caribbean: Jamaica, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Cuba are becoming destinations for North American women looking for romance or sexual adventures with locals.
- Southeast Asia: Thailand and Bali (Indonesia) attract women from Australia and Japan, fascinated by the exoticism and youth of the locals.
- Latin america: Peru and Ecuador are also on the female sex tourism map.
A recent study in Malindi, Kenya, shows that the majority of sex tourists are in the 31–50 age bracket: 31% between 31 and 35, and 61% between 46 and 50. The data confirms the reality: female sex tourism exists, but remains a much less discussed topic than male sex tourism, although it is just as widespread and often more discreet.
The Hidden Reality of Cape Verde’s Paradise: Vulnerable Adolescents and Sex Tourism
So, the phenomenon exists in Cape Verde as well. Develop. And it’s fueled by a dangerous mix of inequality, fascination and the illusion of an experience “authentic”.
Behind every party night, every flirtation, every viral clip, there are fragile destinies hidden: stories of survival, of broken dreams, of teenagers sacrificing their dignity for the promise of a better life. For some of them — even minors — the entertainment of tourists is paid dearly: with their own peace, with their own body, with an emotional burden that is hard to imagine.
“There is a dangerous combination of vulnerability, poverty and a lack of prospects. Many young people pay a huge emotional price for the entertainment of tourists”concludes nun Milagros García.
Cape Verde remains a place of breathtaking beauty—a paradise carved in light and ocean. But seen beyond the filters, it becomes a mirror of the world we live in: a world that turns inequality into exoticism and vulnerability into decorum.
