Welcome to my first post in Latvia.
Freedom61-
Since working with Freedom61 I have been doing many things to help out at the apartment such as cleaning and fixing things. For the first time this Tuesday we have served soup and bread to the girls which was very successful. I usually walk around and pray while the girls interact and from what they told me, those on the receiving end were very grateful. One girl, Karina, stayed for an hour and a half and even mentioned that she would like to leave her profession. On Wednesdays we take part in what is called the "Transforming Riga Prayer." Riga has regions and microregions, and every week YWAM Riga picks a microregion and prayer walks there. On Thursdays we bring cupcakes, coffee, and tea, to the girls and continue to build relationship. On Fridays the men (*Tchaigo from Brazil, and myself) walk around old town and talk to tourists and inform them that prostituted girls are not free, and are in one way or another forced.
There are a few layers of work that are required to remedy this problem: prevention, perpetrator accountability, rescue, and rehabilitation/reintegration. Freedom61 has been devising ways of reintegration to couple with their relationship rescue. Should a girl working on the street decide to leave she can receive Latvian lessons at the Freedom61 apartment; this is critical for obtaining a job because most of the girls speak Russian. Given that she is not addicted to drugs or alcohol, she can live in the freedom61 apartment. If she is currently addicted freedom61 can help transition to and from a rehabilitation clinic. Lastly, Freedom61 is thinking of possible business opportunities to provide jobs themselves.
There are so many areas of prevention but the most important one of these is you. It takes a global effort to break the misconceptions that allow inaction and apathy regarding this issue.
1: Woman do not choose to become prostitutes, and those who do, have no other choice. What women do you know that want to be sexually abused 10+ times a day? What women do you know who think of that as an easy way to make money instead of getting a "real job?"
2: Women do not become prostitutes to pay for addictions, the reason most prostituted women have addictions is either because their pimp forced them, in order to gain further control over them, or because being repeatedly sexually abused is too difficult to endure sober.
3: Men are not controlled by biological imperatives. Men can find sexual freedom, and do have a choice regarding issues of pornography and prostitution.
Thank you for reading.
It sounds like the Freedom61 apartment has a really good system set up for caring for these girls/women. Are you interacting with both the girls who have come in off of the street and the ones currently still working as prostitutes? It's so great that the prayer is reaching them. And the food sounds like a good idea. XD Free food's a good idea, I guess, no matter what situation you're in. I hope you and Tchaigo succeed equally well in spreading the word to tourists.
ReplyDeleteNone of the girls are currently living in the apartment, it takes a long time to gain the trust of those whose trust has been repeatedly broken. This also applies to the next question: I do not interact with girls on the street because they do not trust men. Many woman become prostitutes as a result of men offering them a better life. Thank you for the inquiry!
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