A Child Who is sexually exploited is robbed of her childhood and denied the opportunity to discover her own identity and self-worth. The psychological scars and deep-seated trauma can last a lifetime, with far reaching consequences for every area of her development into adulthood. There is no greater violation of a child's human rights.
- Our Projects:
- PEDRAVIVA SAFE HOUSE
- PROJECT 116
Spotlight
- Daniela
In January of 2011, Matt and I travelled north on the BR 116 motorway to the remote town of Medina. We met with a woman named Rita who belonged to the local Childrenʼs Council. Matt asked her in Portuguese what child prostitution had done to the girls of Medina and immediately her eyes welled with tears. When she had gathered herself she told us, “It has devastated them”. Matt translated for me but he knew he didnʼt have to, her eyes had said it all. Rita told us of girls whose own parents had set up brothel rooms in their homes to service their daughters to clients. She then took us to meet some of the girls. One was named Daniela.
She lived high on a hill between two large boulders - a shack constructed of brick and mortar and sporting an open air brick oven that smoldered and crackled in the stifling heat. She lived there with her mother who was a drug addict. As her mother sat outside smoking, Daniela told us of how she had to hide her journal or her mother would use the pages as rolls for her cigarettes. After some time, Daniela went next door to bring us her prized possessions - her journal, and a Justin Beiber poster! She told us that she dreamed of being an attorney* someday but that she couldnʼt afford the supplies it would take to attend the local school. We encouraged her to pursue her dream and had Rita buy all the supplies she would need to go back to school.
I remember driving away from Danielaʼs house between the rocks, the house with the barbed wire clothesline. She was waving and had a smile on her face.
Not long after our visit I received this email from Matt:
Hi Dean,
Some distressing news about Daniela, the girl we met in Medina. I phoned Rita,
the childrenʼs councillor, today and she said Daniela is in a terrible situation. Her
mum is forcing her to go to the motorway, she even goes with her and stands
behind her then takes the money. Makes starting this project all the more
urgent... I thought youʼd want to know.
*We found that a lot of the girls want to be attorneyʼs when they grow up. They have seen so much injustice in their lives that itʼs little wonder they pursue a dream where justice is a reality.
- Dean