A PERSONAL UPDATE FROM JAKARTA

A PERSONAL UPDATE FROM JAKARTA

Pictures and stories from Children Under the Bridge

HIGH RISK CHILDREN

In the interviews with mothers and children who are part of the Children Under the Bridge program in Jakarta, we have identified twelve young girls who are at the most serious risk. We have learned that many young girls enter sex work because of the debt of their mothers. Basically, these girls are “sold” to the pimp in order for the mother to pay her debt. We interviewed one mother and her daughter who were victims of this cycle. The daughter was conscripted by the pimp into the sex trade at age 12 because the mother could not pay. She had her first child at age 12. She is now a full-time sex worker with a seven-year-old child. She is 19. Her mother continues to work as a prostitute because the debt grew. You can hardly imagine the life of this girl at 12 years old.

We have targetted the ones most likely to experience the same fate. Their mothers or caretakers are involved either directly or indirectly in sex work. They live in environments where sex trade is a daily, open activity. Many do not attend school. They are all desperately poor. In our assessment, these girls are likely to either choose or be forced into prostitution because of the situations of their lives. Therefore, these will be our highest priority for training and education so that we can give them a way to survive without entering the sex trade.

We will not stop the work with the entire group. There are now 150 children involved in the larger program. We will still offer food, medical attention, education and loving concern for all of them. But these twelve are special. If we are going to break the cycle, it has to start with them. We’ll have lots more to tell you as we develop our efforts to change their direction.

Most of these girls do not attend school. Some never have. They have no skills for employment. They will on the street or in the middle of the prostitution working area. Only two have both father and mother. Some have no one to care for them except the other prostitutes. All of them are likely to enter the sex trade unless we can provide an economic alternative.

There are now 150 children in the program. These are the ones at highest risk. Boys will generally find some kind of employment as they grow up. Girls are left with very few choices, especially if they have children. If we can change the lives of these girls, we will break the cycle that has kept their mothers as economic sex slaves for years.

Prayer and support, that’s what we need. All of this effort is occurring in a Muslim country in the worst part of Jakarta. Safety is a big concern. Intervention by the government is another concern. Let’s keep it quiet and do what our Messiah would have done. And maybe we can rescue these from unspeakable humiliation.

IF YOU WANT TO HELP or if you are already helping, then there is a password protected page to see the pictures of each of these girls.  If you know the password (as before), you can log right in.  CLICK HERE

If you don’t know it, email me.  Skip