Julia's story

BY MARIA POPOVA, ST. PETERSBURG

This is a story of a girl who was rescued from the streets and who since then has been with, us helping us in our work.

"When I first met Julia one year ago, she was a filthy, hungry, and abused child who just wanted to be left alone. But through attending our day center she started to change before our very eyes. This Christmas will be for her very much different than so far in her life", says our street patrol worker Maria Popova. This 15-year-old girl, who for years has experienced the horrors of organized child prostitution, now is an art school student. She often eagerly assists us in day center and street patrol works. Now Julia, recovering from the horrors of violence, child prostitution and alcoholism, is a student of art school and a keen helper at our street patrol and day center.

On subway and railway stations you can at any time see hungry and filthy children begging. Many among them become acquainted with adults who offer them "easy" money. This is how child prostitution operates. In addition to adults, also 17-19-year old girls serve as pimps and offer clients their younger "friends", for which they reserve a portion of the payment. Many girls begin to prostitute themselves after having been raped, because, as they say, they don't have anything to lose.

Clients often beat the girls and throw them out of the car without paying. Relatively often it happens that a girl doesn't come back. Any girl is in the risk of becoming a victim of the clients' cruelty.

When the girls share the money among themselves, you can hear their voices from far. They yell and quarrel, trying to get a bigger portion. The passers-by look at them with a despising look. Only few understand the terrible pressure and anguish of a girl who has ended up on the street.

I would like to share with you something about the life of these girls. The following harsh story was told me by Julia, whom we have helped to leave the street.

Julia's family consisted of parents and brother Dima. Father and mother often quarreled and the frightened children hid themselves behind the couch.
Dima began to run away from the home and finally he didn't come back. Julia would hide behind the couch by herself. Her father drank a lot. Once during a fight the mother helped the daughter out of the window and said: "Run to Grandma!"

Bigger girls prostitute Julia.

Instead of Grandma, Julia turned to the girls at the subway station with whom she had become acquainted. The girls promised to help her, and this is how 8-year-old Julia became an inhabitant of the streets.
Julia told me with tears how the girls sent her to a "fun ride" with some "uncle". She trusted the adult and sat in the car without suspicions.
They drove on the streets past beautiful store windows and everything seemed to be fine. Suddenly the car stopped. The expression on the face of the "uncle" had totally changed. Julia tried to open the door, but the man threatened her with an ax. Of what happened next, Julia only remembers the horror and fear.
Julia has also been prostituted in a place where children offer all services to pedofiles and receive for themselves 3 dollars. She used the money for food and alcohol that she had become to drink at the age of 9. For food the girls bought macaronis. The bread and dishes were found from trash cans. Julia and her drug using friends spent their nights in basements.
One day when Julia was quarreling with her pimp, the police caught her and informed her mother that the daughter has been found. The mother had been looking for her for a long time. She had divorced and married another man. Hoever, the returning to home didn't solve Julia's problems.

The nightmare continues at home.

When mother was absent, Julia's step-father abused her. The girl however didn't dare to tell her mother. Finally Julia understood that she could not handle the situation by herself, and told her mother. Mother didn't believe what she was told and gave Julia a severe spanking. The neighbors on the same floor heard Julia's voice and tried to defend her, but mother's decision was final. She chased her daughter out of the home.

To an orphanage - and back to the street

Julia, who was now 12, was taken to the temporary shelter at the militia. When her mother came there, her purpose was just to sign the release of the custody rights - not to take her daughter home.
Julia was placed to an orphanage. Soon after that she fled from the hard discipline and returned to the street to the old circle of prostitution, begging and drinking. She also began to sniff glue. Julia felt that life on the streets and eating from trash cans was all that she deserved and there wasn't a way out.

"A miracle happened."

When I was looking for new children on the streets, I met this girl who had suffered so much in her life. We had long discussions and I was surprised by her openness and strong desire to start everything from zero and to live normal life in a family.
Julia told afterwards that the coming to the day center meant a "miracle" for her: "When I came here, I immediately felt good and warm. Before that I only had the street, but now I also had this day center." I remember how Julia during her first visit at the day center looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked: "You won't chase me away, will you?" I didn't say anything, I just hugged her...

Father's home.

Julia was thinking about returning to her own father and she also was willing to go to school, but she was afraid of what father might tell her. We encouraged her to go to her father, and she did that.
Julia continued to attend the day center. Our child psychologist worked with her, and she also often came to my home. All this seemed to have a positive effect on Julia. She even began to speak to her father that he shouldn't drink but he should find work.

A new art school student.

Now Julia helps us to find children from basements and she willingly participates in all activities of the day center. She is artistically talented and we were able to arrange to have her enrolled in an art school. Julia thinks her life is now well.
She now speaks to the children on the streets that this is not the way they should be living and that they should try to return to their homes. It is the best when the children receive this advice and encouragement from another person who has been in the same situation but has found a way out.