- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency contraception
- Over the counter
- Emergency number
- 123
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: sciencedirect.com, isitsafetovisit.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- The 155 hotline and Bogotá's Línea Púrpura (018000112137 / WhatsApp 300 755 1846) are both free, confidential, and available 24/7 — Línea Púrpura is Bogotá-specific and can also advise on contraception and reproductive rights, not just violence.
- For an assault in progress or immediate danger, call 123 (police emergency) directly rather than 155, which is for orientation/support rather than urgent dispatch.
- Emergency contraceptive pills require no prescription, no ID check, and no age restriction at Bogotá pharmacies — you can also order via delivery apps if you prefer not to go in person.
- If the assault was recent, going to a public hospital emergency department entitles you to free emergency contraception and forensic/medical documentation, which is important if you later choose to file a police report.
- Foreign visitors without Colombian EPS health insurance will likely pay out-of-pocket private rates for IUD/implant insertion; Profamilia clinics are a well-known nonprofit option worth calling ahead for pricing.
- Colombia has one of the most liberal abortion laws in Latin America — abortion on request up to 24 weeks, with no residency or citizenship requirement to access care.
- Public hospitals/EPS insurers cannot legally invoke 'conscientious objection' to refuse the procedure outright, but real-world delays with some insurers have been documented, so nonprofit specialists (Profamilia, Oriéntame) are often faster if you hit red tape.
- If you're a short-term visitor without Colombian health insurance, plan to use a private or nonprofit clinic and pay out of pocket — self-pay costs are modest by international standards but vary by clinic and pregnancy stage.
- Telemedicine medication-abortion options exist for early pregnancy (roughly first trimester) and can be done privately from wherever you're staying.
- For routine OBGYN care as a nomad, several private clinics in the northern business/nomad neighborhoods (Chicó, El Country) explicitly cater to English-speaking international patients — worth calling ahead to confirm language support and same-week availability.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street and Public Transport Harassment
Sexual harassment of women while getting around Bogotá is well documented and common, not an isolated risk. An academic survey of 1,169 women who live, work or study in the city found that 84.3% said they had suffered sexual harassment while traveling in Bogotá at some point, mostly on TransMilenio, SITP buses and the walking routes to and from stops and stations. A separate joint study by WRI Ross Center and the Bogotá-based research group Despacio found that about 85% of 1,000 women surveyed reported experiencing sexual harassment across all transport modes in the city, and that fewer than 10% of those incidents were reported to authorities. Streets and walking routes to and from transit stops are associated more with verbal harassment, following, or being cornered, while the buses themselves see more physical harassment.
Walking Alone at Night — Areas
Multiple current neighborhood guides agree that the northern districts — Chapinero (especially Chapinero Alto and the area around Carrera 7 between Calles 70–85), Zona Rosa, Parque 93, Zona G and Usaquén — are generally considered the safer, better-lit and more heavily policed parts of the city, with several describing these areas as reasonable to walk in even after dark. The same sources are consistent that La Candelaria, the historic center that most tourists visit by day, becomes considerably riskier after dark, and that areas south of it are discouraged day and night. Lower or central Chapinero and side streets off the main avenues are flagged as needing more caution at night even though the district overall is considered one of the safer ones.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
A documented and named risk in Bogotá is the 'paseo millonario' (millionaire ride), where a street-hailed taxi driver takes a passenger on a long detour or, in more serious cases, forces them to withdraw cash from a series of ATMs; this is specific to taxis flagged down on the street rather than booked. Because of this, government and expat-focused sources consistently advise against hailing a cab from the curb in Bogotá and recommend booking through an app — Uber, Cabify, DiDi or a licensed dispatch service such as Taxis Libres — since these let you see the driver's identity and track the route. The US government reportedly bars its own staff based in Colombia from hailing taxis on the street or using public transport at all, which signals how seriously this specific risk is treated for the country, though that particular restriction is a country-level policy rather than a Bogotá-only rule.
Practical Precautions
Guides focused on Bogotá consistently recommend not displaying phones, jewelry or cash on the street, keeping bags and valuables held to the front of the body, and using ATMs inside malls or enclosed spaces rather than ones on busy streets. For solo women specifically, the advice is to avoid traveling alone late at night even in the better neighborhoods, prefer a booked ride-hailing or taxi app over walking once it's dark, and plan the route home before going out rather than deciding on the street at night.
City Efforts to Address Transit Harassment
Bogotá's city government has acknowledged the scale of this problem and run targeted programs in response: the Women's Secretariat, UN Women Colombia and a free-taxi operator launched a virtual training school for transport drivers on preventing sexual harassment, part of the global UN Women Safe Cities program the city joined. An earlier exploratory study tied to that program found that 90.5% of women in Bogotá reported feeling insecure for fear of being harassed, and the city has since run programs like 'Mujeres viajan seguras en TransMilenio' aimed at reducing harassment on the bus system, alongside female-driver initiatives on the newer La Rolita bus service intended to make women passengers feel safer.
OB-GYN Options Bogota
Clínica Del Country – Gynecology and Obstetrics Service
- Area
- El Country / northern Bogotá business district
- Type
- Private hospital-based OBGYN department
- English Speaking
- Not confirmed for all staff; call ahead to request an English-speaking doctor
- Notes
- A large private clinic with a dedicated gynecology and obstetrics team including maternal-fetal medicine and perinatology specialists, handling both routine and high-risk pregnancy care, and gynecological surgery.
Dr. Angela Escobar – General & Aesthetic Gynecology Clinic
- Type
- Private gynecology practice
- English Speaking
- Yes
- Notes
- General gynecology services including family planning, HPV detection/vaccination, and contraceptive counseling (IUDs, implants, pills), alongside aesthetic gynecology services; markets specifically to international patients.
Urgent Care Colombia – Gynecology Service
- Type
- Private expat-oriented clinic
- Address
- Cl. 97a #9a-34, Bogotá
- English Speaking
- Yes
- Notes
- English-speaking, board-certified doctors specializing in women's health offering routine check-ups, Pap smears, breast exams, menopause management, and online/at-home consultations.
Profamilia
- Type
- Nonprofit reproductive health provider
- English Speaking
- Not confirmed
- Notes
- Long-running reproductive health nonprofit with multiple locations in Bogotá; provides general gynecological and reproductive health services in addition to abortion care.
Typical Self Pay Costs
- Medication Abortion
- COP 70,000
Aspiration Procedure AMEU
- Currency Local
- COP
- Amount USD Range
- 44–98
- Amount Local Range
- 180,000–400,000
- Note
- Range depends on clinic and weeks of pregnancy; figures are for private/self-pay patients, not what an insured Colombian resident pays through the public system (which is free).
Emergency Hotlines And Support Services
Línea 155 – National Gender-Based Violence Orientation Line
- Contact
- 155 (call, free, from any phone/operator)
- Operator
- Colombian National Police / Presidential Council for Women's Equity
- Services
- Confidential orientation on legal and health-related support for women victims of gender-based violence; urgent in-progress cases are redirected to the 123 police emergency line.
- Availability
- 24/7, nationwide
Línea 123 – National Police Emergency Line
- Contact
- 123
- Operator
- Policía Nacional
- Services
- Immediate police emergency response for violence in progress, including sexual assault.
- Availability
- 24/7, nationwide (including Bogotá)
Línea Púrpura Distrital (Bogotá) "Mujeres Que Escuchan Mujeres"
- Contact
- 018000112137 (toll-free call) or WhatsApp 300 755 1846
- Operator
- Secretaría Distrital de la Mujer (Bogotá city government)
- Services
- Psychosocial support, orientation on women's rights and legal/health routes after violence, including sexual and reproductive health rights (contraception and voluntary termination of pregnancy).
- Availability
- 24/7, every day, Bogotá-specific
Secretaría Distrital De La Mujer
- Name
- Ruta de Atención a Mujeres Víctimas de Violencias (RUA) / Casas de Igualdad de Oportunidades
- Contact
- Localidad-specific offices, e.g. Chapinero 601 359 9555, Santa Fe 601 439 9997, Usaquén 601 316 9092
- Services
- Free socio-legal and psychosocial counseling, help accessing protection orders, and referral to health/justice services for assault survivors.
- Availability
- Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (varies by location)
Casas Refugio (Shelter Houses)
- Contact
- Accessed via Línea 123 or the Secretaría Distrital de la Mujer
- Operator
- Secretaría Distrital de la Mujer
- Services
- Emergency shelter for women at risk of femicide or fleeing violence, with integral, intermediate, and rural refuge types.
- Availability
- 24/7 intake via emergency line
Línea 122 – Fiscalía General De La Nación
- Contact
- 122
- Operator
- Attorney General's Office
- Services
- Filing criminal reports/denuncias, including for sexual violence.
- Availability
- Nationwide
Línea 106 – Bogotá Health Secretariat Mental Health Line
- Contact
- 106
- Operator
- Secretaría de Salud de Bogotá
- Services
- Mental health crisis support, relevant for assault survivors needing psychological first aid.
- Availability
- Bogotá
Hospital-based Comprehensive Care for Sexual Violence Victims
- Contact
- Via Línea 123 or presenting directly at an emergency department
- Operator
- Subredes de Salud de Bogotá / Secretaría Distrital de Salud
- Services
- Free emergency medical attention for sexual assault, including forensic exam coordination, emergency contraception, and referral for legal action.
- Availability
- 24/7 at designated hospitals (e.g., Hospital Meissen, Kennedy/Bosa Centro, San Blas/La Victoria, Suba/Engativá, and the private Hospital Universitario Clínica San Rafael)
Contraception And Emergency Contraception Access
- General Access Notes
- Emergency contraceptive pills are sold over-the-counter without a prescription at pharmacies, drugstore chains, supermarkets, and clinics across Bogotá, and there is no minimum age restriction to purchase them.
- Public Health System Note
- Colombia's mandatory health plan generally provides a free supply of family-planning methods (pills, IUD, implant) to women enrolled in an EPS, and emergency contraception can also be requested free of charge at any public hospital emergency department or priority-care service, especially in cases of sexual violence.
Contraceptive Implant
- Availability
- Offered through EPS-affiliated public health services and private clinics/Profamilia in Bogotá as a standard long-acting method.
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Cost Note
- Self-pay implant pricing was not consistently verifiable from public sources at time of research; costs depend on the clinic and brand — confirm directly with the provider.
Copper IUD Hormonal IUD
- Availability
- Available through public EPS-affiliated clinics (often free or low-cost for enrolled patients) and at private providers such as Profamilia clinics in Bogotá; the WHO and Colombia's Ministry of Health identify the copper IUD as the most effective emergency contraception method when inserted shortly after unprotected sex.
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Cost Note
- Self-pay pricing for insertion at a private clinic varies by device type and clinic and was not consistently verifiable from public pricing sources at time of research; travelers without EPS coverage should call a clinic directly (e.g., Profamilia) for a current quote.
Emergency Contraception Pill
- Availability
- Widely available without prescription at Bogotá pharmacy chains (Farmatodo, Cruz Verde, Colsubsidio, La Rebaja) and via delivery apps; common brands include Postday, Postinor, Evinet, Onive, and Cerciorat.
- Effective Window
- Most effective within 72 hours of unprotected sex, though some formulations are labeled effective up to 120 hours; efficacy decreases the longer one waits.
Typical Price Range
- Amount USD Low
- 3.4
- Currency Local
- COP
- Amount USD High
- 5.2
- Amount Local Low
- 13600
- Amount Local High
- 20800
Birth Control Pill Regular Oral Contraceptives
- Availability
- Sold over-the-counter at pharmacies without a prescription requirement in practice, though official guidance recommends a family-planning consultation to select the right method.
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Cost Note
- Colombia regulated prices on many oral contraceptive brands, and monthly costs vary widely by brand from generic to premium options; exact current per-brand pricing was not independently confirmed at the time of research.
Law Summary
Abortion in Colombia is legal and available upon request, without needing to provide a reason, up to the 24th week of pregnancy, due to a ruling by the Constitutional Court on February 21, 2022 (Sentencia C-055/2022). After that point, abortion after 24 weeks will be legal in Colombia under exceptions in place since 2006: when a pregnancy poses a risk to the health or the life of the pregnant person, is nonviable, or is the result of rape. The ruling decriminalized the procedure nationwide and applies regardless of nationality or immigration status.
Legal Status
Fully legal and regulated
Access Routes
- Telemedicine
- Medication-based abortion via telemedicine (misoprostol/mifepristone protocols) is offered by providers such as Profamilia's 'Mía' platform and Oriéntame for early pregnancies (roughly up to 9-12 weeks depending on provider), allowing the process to be completed at home with remote medical guidance.
- Public Health System
- Residents affiliated with an EPS (contributory or subsidized health insurance regime) can request the procedure (IVE - Interrupción Voluntaria del Embarazo) free of charge through general medicine consultation, an IPS emergency department, or referral to a specialized provider. In practice, reporting indicates some EPS insurers delay or informally obstruct access despite the legal obligation to provide it, so waits and bureaucratic friction are a known issue in the public system.
- Specialized Nonprofit Clinics
- Fundación Oriéntame and Profamilia are long-established reproductive health nonprofits with locations in Bogotá that specialize in voluntary pregnancy interruption, offering in-person and telemedicine options; both work with EPS referrals as well as self-pay patients and are commonly recommended by legal-access advocates as offering faster, less bureaucratic care than the public system.
- Foreign Nationals And Tourists
- Undocumented migrants and people without health insurance affiliation retain the right to request the procedure, generally at the nearest public hospital, and services related to pregnancy including IVE are meant to be treated as urgent regardless of migratory status. Short-term visitors/tourists without EPS affiliation will typically need to use a private/nonprofit clinic (e.g. Profamilia, Oriéntame) and pay out of pocket rather than going through the public EPS system.
Abortion Time Limits
- On Request
- Up to 24 weeks, no justification required
- After 24 Weeks
- Only permitted for risk to life/health (including mental health), fatal fetal malformation, or pregnancy resulting from rape/incest, per the 2006 Constitutional Court ruling (Sentencia C-355)
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Bogotá
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.