Podem is an official home for minor ex-prostitutes in Bulgaria.
Here live around 60 girls in the age between 8 an 18.
Most of them have been forced to prostitution for the first time in
the age between 8 and 14. Sooner or later they got picked up by the police
during a "razzia" and locked away in this miserable place in
Bulgaria's periphery. Some of them are of very poor origin, but some of them
come from good families. Some of them have been gathered from the street
by the pimps, while others have been downright kidnapped. But all of them
have been "broken in" by the pimps or in other brutal ways
brought to heel, so they could work for them in brothels, on the street or in
noble hotels. But only few of them in Bulgaria. Because the trade to other
pimps - Greek, Macedonians, Albanians (especially feared because of their brutality),
but also Westeuropeans - is quite common. As well as the strange illegal
smuggling of the children over the borders, which means hours long night
marches through border line rivers.
500$, that is currently the usual price for a girl changing it's owner, told us Miglena, today a 15 years old bulgarian girl, who has been sold by her pimp over Greece to Macedonia last year (and who brought back a baby as a "souvenire" from this trip). In Macedonia there is a high demand for "young flesh" these days, since the KFOR-troops are stationed there and the hunger for minor girls from Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Moldavia is huge.
Some of these once compliant intimidated children sit now in this rotten bulgarian home - many of them suffer venereal diseases (also syphilis), but there are no medicaments. Comparing with the nutrition budget of 47 000 $ granted (but never paid) by the bulgarian government, the health budget is zero! Ovary inflammations, consequences from abortion, there are many things that put the girls in constant pain. Not to mention the depressive state of mind of many of them. Being locked away is the whole "therapy" practiced for these minor ex-prostitutes: there is absolutly no psychological care dealing with their trauma, because for this purpose there is no money and concept in Bulgaria and the other european countries are not really interested in this problem (except some admonishing words from the EU or goodwill statements from some western NGOs not much has been done against the trafficking in women and girls in balcan countries).
Quite poor are the well meant effords of the home management to deafen the girls with work and activities: in the morning a strange looking class - sometimes there are only two girls coming - to fetch after some missed education. Then sewing lessons on nostalgic machines, so the girls (when they are 18 and have to leave) can have a job as a seamstress. (That the girls earned as prostitutes more in one day than as seamstress in a month - around 90$ - this perspective is known here. But the managment is helpless.) In the afternoon an hour folkloristic dancing in the dining-hall: with calm steps so the music from the broken tape recorder still can be heard. One time a week showers are allowed: in a strange KZ-like concrete celler full of rats. There is never enough hot water for all which of course causes constant trouble amongst the children.
Except waiting for getting 18 - there is no perspective to be mentioned for these kids. Just few really make it back to an ordinary life. Like Jenny who indeed got a job as a seamstress in a big factory. With 100 $ per month she earns more than many others (her little sister Maria sits still in the home, but will come out next year and stay at her sister's place and work for same company). This job was arranged by the director of the home. He and most of the teachers and attendants are fine people who struggle for the children. But they have no money for elementary needs, for food, for projects and of course not much experience with therapeutic pedagogy.
500$, that is currently the usual price for a girl changing it's owner, told us Miglena, today a 15 years old bulgarian girl, who has been sold by her pimp over Greece to Macedonia last year (and who brought back a baby as a "souvenire" from this trip). In Macedonia there is a high demand for "young flesh" these days, since the KFOR-troops are stationed there and the hunger for minor girls from Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Moldavia is huge.
Some of these once compliant intimidated children sit now in this rotten bulgarian home - many of them suffer venereal diseases (also syphilis), but there are no medicaments. Comparing with the nutrition budget of 47 000 $ granted (but never paid) by the bulgarian government, the health budget is zero! Ovary inflammations, consequences from abortion, there are many things that put the girls in constant pain. Not to mention the depressive state of mind of many of them. Being locked away is the whole "therapy" practiced for these minor ex-prostitutes: there is absolutly no psychological care dealing with their trauma, because for this purpose there is no money and concept in Bulgaria and the other european countries are not really interested in this problem (except some admonishing words from the EU or goodwill statements from some western NGOs not much has been done against the trafficking in women and girls in balcan countries).
Quite poor are the well meant effords of the home management to deafen the girls with work and activities: in the morning a strange looking class - sometimes there are only two girls coming - to fetch after some missed education. Then sewing lessons on nostalgic machines, so the girls (when they are 18 and have to leave) can have a job as a seamstress. (That the girls earned as prostitutes more in one day than as seamstress in a month - around 90$ - this perspective is known here. But the managment is helpless.) In the afternoon an hour folkloristic dancing in the dining-hall: with calm steps so the music from the broken tape recorder still can be heard. One time a week showers are allowed: in a strange KZ-like concrete celler full of rats. There is never enough hot water for all which of course causes constant trouble amongst the children.
Except waiting for getting 18 - there is no perspective to be mentioned for these kids. Just few really make it back to an ordinary life. Like Jenny who indeed got a job as a seamstress in a big factory. With 100 $ per month she earns more than many others (her little sister Maria sits still in the home, but will come out next year and stay at her sister's place and work for same company). This job was arranged by the director of the home. He and most of the teachers and attendants are fine people who struggle for the children. But they have no money for elementary needs, for food, for projects and of course not much experience with therapeutic pedagogy.