Although brothels are legal in Athens, working on street corners is not. At midnight on Thursdays we go to where people work on the streets. These girls are mostly from Nigeria and most of them have been trafficked. They believe they are working to pay off the debt they "owe" to their trafficker. The good news for me is that they speak English...so while we pass out hot tea and biscuits, I try to banter with them about how we can help.
It's tricky, though. Last week there were 50 teenage girls on one small city block. They were all distracted by getting the few customers that came through...desperate for the money. They gather around you because they want the treats...but it's like trying to have a meaningful conversation in a junior high huddle! They are talking over you, giggling, teasing each other. I was wishing I was a youth worker and knew how to turn up the 'hyper' to keep up with them.
All the girls are from the same state in Nigeria. All over Europe it's this way. The trafficking only happens in this certain state! What's the deal?? Extreme poverty? Corruption? Nea Zoi is praying that prevention can happen in Africa before they ever reach this continent!
It's too early to tell...but I have a feeling that this problem of trafficking MIGHT be too big for me to "fix" in the next 12 months. (haha) But I'm encouraged that it's not up to me to fix it...
"And see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing." Is 40
8 years ago
3 comments:
Holly! I'm finally getting around to checking out your blog (thanks for the Christmas card by the way - Merry Christmas! :). Wow, I will be praying for you and looking for updates. What an experience. May the Lord so richly bless you this year and all the girl's lives you will be touching. Your a brave soul.
Holly---I just checked out your blog today finally. Sounds like you are definitely getting a cultural experience. Thanks for sharing about your experiences and for posting pics so I can get an idea of what your world is like. Are you allowed to take pictures of the outside of a brothel?
Ha! We talk about this a lot in school. In school they refer to us as "agents of change". We can nudge a little and be a pebble that makes a ripple but we aren't going to overturn the whole system by ourselves. Great leaders like Martin Luther King and Ghandi had a lot of people behind them - people that didn't get the same recognition. If all of us pebbles get together we can change the world - you're the pebble doing the nudging right now!
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