Untitled

Warning:  this is not going to be the typical, uplifting blog entry. 

I'm exhausted; the past couple weeks have been pretty jam-packed and busy, and I haven't been able to catch up on sleep for a while.  I, however, need to write about something that I witnessed tonight that really has me shaken up.  There are some terribly horrible things going on in our world, obviously, but it hurts more when you actually see it right in front of you.

Tonight, I was invited by a couple nurses and doctors to go the city of Ocotal to celebrate the birthday of a coworker and friend.  I absolutely love hanging out with this particular group of people, so I didn't hesitate to say yes.  Currently, there are fiestas going on to celebrate los santos patronales (patron saints).  With these fiestas, there are parties in the streets, fairs in the park, and horse shows all over the place.  We decided to attend one of the fairs, and we went to a cantina that had a lot of dancing going on (bachata, salsa, ranchera, reggaeton... everything!).  All of us were having a great time sitting and chatting and watching the dancing.  While all of this was going on, however, I couldn't help but notice a young girl shuffling around who looked very lost.  She seemed to be about fourteen years old and was wearing a jean skirt, lipgloss, and earrings.  Now, the reason I mention what she was wearing is because here, in the northern part of Nicaragua, it's very rare to see a young girl by herself wearing these types of things.  Most people, especially children, are dressed very conservatively, and you almost never see a fourteen year old with makeup.  She had very sad eyes and wouldn't stand up straight. 

I thought about her situation for a couple minutes, and then it hit me like a wall of bricks--this young girl was a sex worker.  Shortly after, I noticed her mother standing off in the corner.  Not much later, a man began talking to the mother and almost immediately approached the young girl and started dancing with her.  She didn't know how to dance.  She squirmed away as he tried to put his hands on her.  She wouldn't look at him.  She stared at the ground.   All of this was happening as her mother watched on with a smile on her face.  It was OBVIOUS that her own mother was pimping her out to earn money.   I asked the doctors and nurses I was with about the situation, and they said that it's common here.

I was watching this all happen from about twenty feet away, and it just killed me inside.  There are some terrible, terrible things happening in our world.  There's war.  There's starvation.  Horrible things.  There's also child sex trafficking.  When I witnessed first hand a glimpse into the way of life for this poor, young girl, I didn't know what to think.  I still don't know what to think.  I just hope she's safe at this moment.

Normally, this type of entry would be a personal journal entry for me.  I know there are many people reading my blog, and I hate to post very sensitive material, but the only way that we can help change and stop these terrible things happening in our world is through awareness.  Please keep this young girl in your thoughts.