God's Broken Image

I love to take my evening walks after so much time spent before the computer. The strides are refreshing to the mind and restore one's spirit, out in the open air and street. A few days ago, on one such exercise, I noticed three prostitutes on the corner of a medical building. They were young, beautiful teen-agers, fashionably and neatly dressed, with lovely, clean faces and innocent eyes. If one did not know what they were doing on that corner, one would say that they were some sort of Sunday school girls. They had absolutely nothing of the makings or characteristics of a prostitute.

I struck up a conversation and invited them for a hot drink at a coffee shop across the street. When we sat down, they began to tell me about their lives and why they involved themselves with prostitution.  I paid close attention to their testimonies. All three confessed to me that not one of the thousands of prostitutes in the Brazil ian cities liked what they did. Everyone of them was ashamed of and humiliated by the profession and hated it.

I therefore asked them:

"Then why did you get into it, if you hate it so much?"

They answered:

"It is because we need the money. A normal honest job only pays us 350 dollars a month. It is impossible to live in Brazil with 350 dollars a month. Prostitutes make 1,000 dollars a month. Still, it is a miserable wage, considering the fact that you have to wait long hours of the night in the cold, damp and lonely corners. Many prostitutes get sick and contract pneumonia or other respiratory diseases."

One of the girls said:

"I was studying to be a nurse. My parents were helping me pay for the university courses. All of a sudden, they had no more money to send. The months went by and I had no income with which to pay the debts. It was then that I decided to enter into prostitution."

The second girl said:

"I separated from my husband because he was abusive and an alcoholic. I was alone with two children and needed to support them. I had to pay rent for the house where I lived in. I was not making enough to make ends meet. I had to go into prostitution."

The third girl said:

"I come from the farm and my parents have eight children. We suffered much poverty and I had to leave. I needed to find something to do to help the family. Prostitution seemed to be a solution."

I asked them:

"So the reason prostitutes in general are in the business is for financial and economic reasons? It is not for emotional reasons also (need for affection, touch, love, etc.), or maybe to escape the pain of a broken relationship?

They all answered no, and responded:

"If that were true, there are many men around to resolve that problem."

I asked them:

"Is it easy to get out of prostitution if you want to leave the profession?"

They answered frankly: no, and said:

"It is an organized business. The pimps hire us and expect a certain quantity of money at the end of the night. We are to fulfill completely the hours stipulated for work, and it doesn't matter if it is raining, cold, hot or windy. There is no such thing as a sick day or workers' benefits. We are required to come the six days of the week whether we are feeling well or not. If we call in sick, they come after us and make us work. They don't want to lose a penny of the commerce. They will even drug a girl to keep her steady on a corner."

I asked them:

"Who are those guys sitting on the motorcycles and in the vans?"

They answered:

"Those are the watch-dogs. They make sure no one slacks off or bothers the girls during their work. They are armed and dangerous. They are in the business in order to make money and buy drugs."

I asked:

"What about those men behind the makeshift hot dog stands?"

They answered:

"That is just a cover up for the pimps. Each one controls a group of 15 women. At the end of the night, they receive the money and make the payments. They make lots of money and practically give us nothing."

I asked:

"And who controls the pimps?"

They responded:

"Those very rich men in the high rise apartments. They also control the politicians and police chiefs. Everyone is paid off so that the business runs smoothly. You will notice that there is not one police car on the streets at night. The police just ride around during the day when there is no danger or prostitution. At night, they receive orders to disappear in order for us to work in peace and make the money that they too will receive."

I asked:

"Am I in any danger speaking to you?"

They answered:

"Not really since it is only a first encounter, but if you talk frequently with the prostitutes, they will mark you and start to follow you around to see what your business is with us."

I asked:

"What if you do get sick and need medical assistance, will they take care of you? Can you date a decent person if you want to?"

They answered:

"No, we have to pay all our bills and take care of ourselves. They have absolutely no responsibility towards us. We are not allowed to date anyone, only if we get out of the business. They want no one to know of the racket."

I asked:

"Do your parents know you do this sort of thing?"

They said:

"NO, we keep it hidden from everyone, they would never approve of what we do. We are only into it until we can make enough money to better our lives."

I said:

"It would be nice if there was a philanthropic society to help needy students to study so that they need not fall into these extremes. Would you be willing to pray for this?"

They answered yes. I gave them each a rosary and left. They were grateful that someone had taken a real interest to their suffering plight and dilemma.

 Anthony Mellace