Raices
In Chile, Raices is the most important program combatting child prostitution and the sexual exploitation of minors. It hopes to be a model for future government programs, to fortify grass-roots organizations, and to promote sexual autonomy of youth. Current projects include an investigation into the sex trade and another to train boys and girls to resist prostitution and exploitation. These two programs involve 7 professionals with 60 children.
Chile may be the most sexually puritanical country in Latin America. Until recently, the government would not fund work on sexual exploitation, declaring that it didn’t stick its nose in “private things.” The media does little work to denounce child prostitution, and few NGOs are willing to address sexuality. Perhaps because of this context, Santiago has horrible rates of child prostitution, particularly in poor neighborhoods, where men in expensive cars drive the streets in search of girls
Raices works in La Chimba, north of Santiago, where young prostitutes work in the street fom 9PM to 3 AM. There appear to be few brothels or pimps, and the system is not organized, but many girls walk the streets. Old girls teach younger ones sexual techniques. Most girls know little of STDs or AIDS, and condom use rates are low.
Outreach:
- Raices gives workshops for kids in other institutions, where they watch for certain signs: seduction or eroticized relations with adults, sexualized play with dolls, manipulation, too-developed relations with adults. Many girls see sex as protection, because older men claim they will defend the girls from their families or the streets, so relations with a potential protector (a psychologist or social worker) demonstrate a lot. Other signs could be what work the mother does (children of prostitutes are at high risk), the presence of many men in the house, etc.
- Girls at high risk are invited to Raices offices for one on one therapy. During this work, psychologists begin to diagnose the problem and to talk more explicitly of the girls’ experiences.
- The last part of the program is the longest and most flexible. It might be therapy, harm reduction counselling, work with the family, referal to a shelter, art or play therapy -- in short, whatever works.
Raices would like to systematize its model to be a better model for future state services.
En 2008, Raices sent us an update on their work, and you can read it here.
Raices
Moneda 812 Of. 1014
Santiago Chile
www.ongraices.org
Denise Araya Castelli, Directora
raices@tie.cl
