Trabajo sexual presencial y digital (webcam) realizado por mujeres en villavicencio: análisis jurídico sobre su clasificación como actividad autónoma o relación laboral subordinada

Abstract

This undergraduate thesis analyzes the legal nature of both in-person and digital (webcam) sex work performed by women in Villavicencio, in order to determine whether this activity should be classified as autonomous work or as a subordinated employment relationship. Through a socio-legal approach, the study examines the economic, technological and social dynamics that characterize the real conditions under which these women work—conditions often marked by vulnerability, lack of institutional protection, and the absence of formal labor rights. Based on an extensive review of Colombian legislation, jurisprudence and academic doctrine, the research argues that sex work in both modalities exhibits core elements of labor subordination. These include control over schedules, behavioral requirements, economic dependence, unilateral determination of fees, sanctions, and permanent surveillance. In the digital context, webcam platforms impose additional forms of “algorithmic subordination,” manifested through mandatory commissions, ranking systems, terms of service, metrics of performance, and constant monitoring that significantly limit workers’ autonomy. The study concludes that classifying women’s sex work as autonomous activity reinforces labor precarization, discrimination, and legal invisibility. It proposes the need to advance toward a regulatory model that recognizes sex work as labor, guaranteeing minimum labor protections, social security access, and state oversight. Such a framework would uphold human dignity and fundamental rights for women sex workers in Villavicencio.