Dominican child
prostitutes offer themselves for pennies
By Andres Cala,
Associated Press Writer
PUERTO PLATA,
Dominican Republic (AP) - On this Caribbean
country's white beaches, teenage and
child prostitutes wearing next to nothing
troll the resort areas, frolicking near
groups of foreign tourists to lure their
attention away from the emerald seas.
Poorly educated and
immersed in poverty, they offer
themselves for pennies — a desperate
act that activists say is helping spread
the AIDS virus in the country.
"I do it for
the money," said a lanky 16-year-old
boy who gave his name as Eduardo. "I
don't need to get tested because I know
I'm not sick."
Like dozens of
others, he walks the Puerto Plata
beachfront, 100 miles northwest of the
capital Santo Domingo, shining shoes and
occasionally selling himself to the
highest bidder.
At least 35,000
Dominican youths under 19 have turned to
prostitution for survival, and as many as
15 percent of them could be HIV positive,
according to Mais, a Dominican
non-governmental organization working to
end child prostitution in the
Spanish-speaking country.
The Dominican
government estimates that at least
130,000 Dominicans have HIV, the virus
that leads to AIDS, and more than 52,000
have died from the disease since 1985.
Unlike adult prostitutes who often work
at nightclubs and are required to be
tested for HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases, child prostitutes
are largely unregulated.
"I always use a
condom, but many don't and I know of many
who have (AIDS)," says 17-year-old
Jose Luis, who earns between 400 and 500
pesos per hour, about $20-25, working as
a prostitute. He supplements his income
by feeding chickens at a local farm.
He said a friend
told him he could earn a lot of money in
the resort town of Cabarete, about 25
miles from Puerto Plata. But he now has
to share part of his profits with a pimp
who leaves him notes at a local hotel
informing him of his next trick.
Less than half of
child prostitutes use condoms regularly,
and only 38 percent have been tested for
AIDS, says an October study by
Profamilia, a Dominican family planning
organization.
In July and August
2001, the group surveyed 118 prostitutes
between ages 10 and 17 in Puerto Plata
and Santo Domingo.
Profamilia and Mais
say many parents know their children are
prostitutes, but in some cases the
families encourage it to ease their
crushing poverty. The country has been
known for years as a sex tourism
destination.
"In some
nightclubs one can find brochures with
pictures of naked children and phone
numbers for taxi drivers that will take
them to child prostitutes," said
Maria Josefina Paulino of Mais.
Janet, a 17-year-old
prostitute who is pregnant with triplets,
said she was forced into the trade at 13
when she had a son and couldn't feed him.
She has worked in the Puerto Plata
beachfront for the last four years.
"I started
sneaking out my house to do it," she
said. "I left my house when I was
14."
Janet was tested for
AIDS a week ago because of her pregnancy,
and the results came out negative.
"I know AIDS kills because a friend
of mine died from that, so I always use a
condom," she said.
Her 26-year-old
friend Mariluz began prostituting herself
when she was 14. When she was 16 she
worked in a nightclub where the owners
made her use a condom and get tested for
HIV.
Social taboos and
scant resources for education mean many
children don't understand the risks. Some
groups say to educate child prostitutes
on the use of condoms and the dangers of
AIDS would essentially be endorsing the
unsavory trade.
"The country
has a series of weaknesses in protecting
its children, including protection
against AIDS," says Jaime de la
Rosa, joint director of the government
AIDS council.
In the meantime,
Mais and Profamilia fear the virus will
continue to advance without a nationwide
education campaign directed at child
prostitutes.
"I'd like to
stop doing this and start a new life, but
I can't live from feeding chickens,"
said Jose Luis.
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