iEmpathize

Casa Alianza has 22 years of experience as a street outreach to vulnerable kids. We have connected with them to tell the at-risk and prevention story. They are an amazing prevention org that serves as a drop in shelter and home for abandoned children and youth. They have some great programs and 150 beds. We will be featuring them in our media communicating prevention and child protection work. David, their street outreach director, took us to the areas of the city where kids are most vulnerable living on and under the streets. We hung out and played Uno and Soccer to break the ice. The kids then opened up and gave us tours of their homes. A group of about 20 teens live in a small tarp village. Another group lives under the streets. We climbed though drainage pipes and tunnels under the city where we sat and talked with them. In spite of it all, they have made these places home. They were so gracious and hospitable. We definitely made some new friends.

Each of the street tribes have girls that live with them. The leaders have their pick. We hung out with one 15 year old girl who is two months pregnant. All of the kids are so addicted to sniffing/huffing that they will do anything for it. There are crack pipes and PVC glue cans laying around everywhere. They pour the PVC glue into plastic water bottles, dip tissue in the solvent then huff and sniff the soaked tissue. Local pimps use this to exploit the girls and force them into prostitution in exchange for the glue. Four of the girls at the safe home were rescued from this very scenario. Two of the safe home girls have had babies from when they lived there… one from a pimp. One of the girls was 13 years old when she had her baby. We gathered some great artifacts for our exhibit, including the bottles, tissue, PVC glue can, and a crack pipe… all given to us as gifts from the kids.

We were escorted by armored/bullet proof SUV through the most dangerous and infamous areas for street prostitution in Mexico City to gather exploitation media. We were in one place there where you can rent a motorcycle and machine gun by the hour to do drive-bys… not joking. Many underage girls are being exploited here. Women in these areas line up on the streets to be chosen by clients. In another area the girls are paraded in the alley one by one in front of a lineup of men until one chooses her. This is where Rosi Orozo, the founder of the safe home that we partner with, personally rescued the first girls three years ago.

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We regularly host iEmpathize Showcases that immerse people in our advocacy experiences and feature ways to partner with us. The showcase highlights our field partnerships and projects explaining how and why we support them.

This Saturday at 7PM we will be in Colorado Springs at the Loft. RSVP if you would like to come.

iE Gallery – Thanks to the generosity of a few of our supporters the iE Gallery will be available through the end of May. Our SE Asia Child Trafficking Exhibit is installed in our gallery space in downtown Boulder, CO. The space is available for  your own private awareness and fundraising event. Just schedule the date with us and we will help you with the rest. Brad, iE’s President, will personally share the stories behind the film, photographs and artifacts. If you live in the Colorado Front Range area book an evening and invite your friends to come be a part!

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Mexico City Update 3 from Brad Riley on Vimeo.

iEmpathize was in Mexico City gathering media that will be used to raise awareness and funds to end the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in Mexico. In addition to partnering with a safe home that is restoring 25 girls ages 9-18, we are rallying behind a movement of mass anti-trafficking legislation, rescue efforts, and prevention programs. There is a powerful group of Mexican abolitionists that are passionately leading the way and we are proud to come along side them. The media is being developed into two Mexican street exhibits to be used by university students, and an iE mixed media immersive exhibit that will be in English and Spanish. We believe these tools will have a profound impact both in Mexico and the US.

We had a film interview and photo shoot with Rosi Orozco who is the founder of the foundation that runs the safe home. We filmed interviews with survivors and gathered all kinds of candid media of all the girls throughout the safe home. It was terrific and aesthetically beautiful. We spent time at the safe home sharing stories, laughing with the girls, and holding the babies of a couple of the girls. The stories are heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.

Maria was 9 years old when she was first prostituted. She was trafficked from Guatemala to Mexico. Her father killed her mother and she went to live with her grandmother.  Her aunt brought her to Cancun, where her alcoholic uncle pimped her out to neighbors. Her victimizations included being raped by two men at same time. To this day, she uncontrollably wets and soils the bed from the damage she suffered. She is now safe and experiencing deep love and profound healing. We enjoyed her laughing, smiling and teasing us all day. (name changed in behalf of her dignity)

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Mexico Update 2 from Brad Riley on Vimeo.

We attended a Presidential event where President Calderon lit us up with a passionate address specifying the fight to see organized crime crumble. Among other things, he shared his disdain for the trafficking of children. It was such an inspiring evening and we were honored to be a part of it.

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iEmpathize Mexico Media Expedition Day 1 Update from Brad Riley on Vimeo.