Pimps , known as chulos - use a strategy to seduce young girls and then , usually with violence , forces them into being sex workers . Handing over almost all they earn to the pimp , the girls work in brothels , bars , massage parlors , strip clubs and even on the streets .
Poor girls ( and boys ) are recruited by traffickers who give false promises to families of employment and exploit them into forced prostitution and labor . Many are trafficked abroad to South American countries like Venezuela and
ADVOCACY
" This is not a problem concerning a certain sector of the population , nor a gender problem ... rather , it is a growing phenomenon , like poverty , and it is sustained by a large market which demands child sex ."
- Excerpt from a Blog by Los Mestizo
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TATI ' S STORY
" Fashion & Compassion has an artisan in their Hope project by the name of Tati • and her story is all too familiar . She ran away from home due to an abusive step-father when she was fourteen . She soon met a lady who offered her a job at a boutique - but the boutique didn ' t really exist . It was a ploy to lure Tati into a brothel where she remained trapped for 2.5 years . When she turned sixteen , she got pregnant and her Madame allowed her to register the baby with the government . Tati had a little girl and the government official who was assisting her knew she needed help . The official provided a way for Tati to escape and was brought to a safe home supported by Fashion & Compassion .
Today , Tati has a healthy three-year-old , is attending school , and has plans to help rescue girls from the same situation she was saved from ."
- Testimony from Fashion & Compassion * Name changed for protection .
Columbia , and to the United States and Europe .
Ecuador is also a destination for Columbian , Peruvian , Dominican , Venezuelan , Mexican , Haitian , Paraguayan , and Cuban women and girls exploited in sex trafficking , domestic servitude , and forced begging ( US Department of State ).
The Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism has launched a nationwide campaign to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the tourism industry and the government has continued a multimedia campaign in 20 departments to encourage citizens to identify and report trafficking cases . The government , however , has not taken steps to reduce demand for commercial sex acts purchased from adults or labor of adults ( Wikipedia ).
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Support a child ' s education and help put an end to the cycle of poverty . Get involved and take action . Support organizations that support children in Ecuador and around the world .
• Education Equals Hope www . educationequalshope . org
• Children International www . children . org
Sources : www . state . gov / j / tip / rls / tiprpt / countries / 2016 / 258759 . htm www . humanium . org / en / americas / ecuador
losmestizo . blogspot . com / 2010 / 01 / children-ecua dor-child-prostitution
ISSUE 04 | WINTER 2017