Susana

My name is Susana. From childhood, I only remember my mother abandoning us and my father being an alcoholic. Sometimes I had to steal because we had nothing to eat. My life was full of pain.

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When I was 16, I got together with the father of my first two kids. I suffered a lot of violence until one day, he got killed in a street fight. I was left alone with the kids.

A woman invited me to work in a bar as a “fichera”, and because of my economic situation, I accepted. 

My job was to drink with the clients, and I got a commission on their consumption. After a while, the owner of the bar suggested that I start going out with the clients to have sexual encounters; this is how I got initiated into prostitution. 

My kids were alone all the time, and they suffered sexual abuse and started doing drugs. I was totally clueless.

Then, I got pregnant again. Money wasn’t enough so I started going to the streets downtown, to prostitute myself. I had no choice.

Two years ago, I started going to Dunamis, because I sometimes I'd have nothing to eat. My daughter is already 10 years old and I don’t have a real job. 

I decided to start going to therapy, and I've found a family here that reminds me that I don’t have to suffer all the time. That motivates me to keep selling candy and jello, so I don’t have to spend too much time on the streets. 

I dream of having my own business and never returning to this area. I want to have a men’s clothing stand in the local market. I know I still have a long way to go, but at least today I have the strength to try and fly again. I deserve to be happy. 

Verónica

My name is Veronica. I left home when I was 15 and came to Mexico City. I’m from a small village in Hidalgo. 

I dreamed about being able to work and study to become a preschool teacher. But no one wanted to hire me in the city because I was a minor. Eventually found a job making $4 for a 12-hour workday. 

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I had to find a job to send money back to my family. One day I saw a flyer that said “hiring waitresses” and I went to ask about it. They hired me on the spot, even though I was only 17.

As the days went by I noticed how some of the women went to a back room with some of the customers. I asked the owner what they were doing, and I wish I hadn’t. He told me it was an opportunity to make a lot of money and fix my problems.

He gave me a stack of condoms and explained to me what I had to do. That’s how I got into prostitution. Now I’ve been in it for 10 years. It was horrible being with men that I didn’t know or want to be with. Getting out of this situation is difficult now that I have 5 kids to support. Even though I’ve tried getting other jobs, they never hire me because I don’t have any job experience, and I’m afraid of them finding out what I really do for a living. 

Two years ago I found out about Dunamis, and started going for meals to save some money. In time I began participating in the other activities they offer. It allowed me to find myself again. I started thinking, “I don’t want to be in the red-light district anymore!” 

Now I’ve decided to challenge myself. I want to start my own business, so I never have to return to prostitution. I dream of having my own grocery store that will allow me to spend more time with my kids and have a stable income.

Alicia

I call myself Alicia. I’m 40 years old, and originally from a small community in Oaxaca. I can’t read or write, but my father always told me that I didn’t need to go to school.

My dad was very violent when he drank, and he constantly hit my mother. The beatings and neglect were what made me decide to leave for Mexico City.

I was 13 when I arrived, and for the first three years I worked cleaning houses. At 16, I moved in with my very first boyfriend. I was so in love with him.

When he lost his job, he told me that if I really loved him like I said, I would have to help him. That’s when he took me to La Merced for the first time, and I started in prostitution.

Now I’m married with three kids, but still working in prostitution because we never have enough money. My kids just found out about my work, so now I’m fighting to save our relationship.

After a while, I left him and he simply found another girl. But I couldn’t read or write, and knowing my past, I decided to stay in La Merced. I’ve been here for over 20 years.

Dunamis invited me to the community center, but at first I only went there to eat. Later I began attending the workshops, and now I can finally write my own name. I finished my therapy, and now I’m trying to stay away from La Merced.

At Dunamis, I found a new family. They helped to remind me just how much I’m worth, even if I never finished school. I don’t want to be in La Merced anymore, so they’ve helped me start the process of opening my own business. I want to sell women’s clothing in the market near my house, and now I’m working to make my dream a reality.