Quotes

Here is what the victims say:

"I never thought I would end up doing this. I will try my best to make sure that no one finds out about me. My hope is that I don't have to keep doing this{hellip} [but] it's the only way to continue to earn money. As long as I can continue to keep it a secret, I will keep on doing it.

"If I could get a good job, I would give this job up immediately but I can't. I'm illiterate. I can do this up to the age of 40. Then I don't know what [I will do]," she adds. Her voice is soft and her laughter rings out, echoing the jangle of the gold bangles which adorn her wrists.

"I was also happy. I was tired of being an immigrant in other countries. I wanted to be home. Now there is democracy [but] there are no jobs."

"I do not tell my husband [about this]. I tell him I've got a job somewhere. If I did not do that I would not eat. If he knew, he would not allow me to go out anymore and would lock me in our home. People would shun me," she adds.

"The men who would come [to the brothel] were about 17 or 18 years old but the girls were about seven or eight. I don't know where they came from as I was never allowed to leave the house."

"It's very difficult to count the exact number of prostitutes because Afghanistan is a tribal and traditional society. The number must be higher now because refugees from Iran and Pakistan have come back. The numbers have increased because poverty has increased after the fall of the Taliban," says RAWA spokeswoman Saforaia Walid.

Bia, Mila, Antonius and Gabby (:

Mission Statement

Our mission is to help children and women in Afghanistan. The main goal is to save them from prostitution, which is a big issue in the country. Train women to make and sell bracelets and necklaces out of rocks (which are very common in Afghanistan). With thism they will earn money, the project will contractlocal staff (teachers) to teach them how to work better and with that they will get better jobs. As you may jknow, children prostitute themselves to hlep their parents to make money. So, our program will offer basci needs such as, food, health care and education. Wee need this price to accomplish our goals and be able to change their lives.

Antonius, Bia, Mila e Gabby (: