Prostitution due to Poverty in Iran...

By:Rev.road...

Welcome, come on in please. Come and see our wealthy life made by working of bad girls and in a wrong way! We are wealthy in a different way!

Come on in, this is our kitchen.

Reporter: Do you live here alone?
Girl: No, I live with my mother and my sister

Reporter: Your sister does the same thing?
Girl: Yes

Reporter: Then why do you go uptown?
Girl: We go uptown because we know whatever we do there no one will recognize us. We have to go to such places; if we do it around this area every body knows us. We pay 90,000 Toomans ($90) for rent, two sisters are working and we have a sick mother who needs medication, surgery… In any possible way we have to pay for the rent, electricity and other bills.

What can we do, we have no other way! Someone is driving a car, what is the difference between us and the other girls our age, they have car they have mobile phone… I swear to god, the houses I’ve been for work, I have been jealous of the girls; I’ve wanted to have what they have. Am I not a human, I wish to go to school to university. Be able to join the gym, but because I have no money I’m not able to do anything. And I always wish I would have the same situation as them, I’ll never forgive the responsible person for this, I always curse them (referring to the person/government responsible for their poverty).

Now everyone knows the price of milk has gone up to 350, 400 ($4) Toomans (per kilo), yogurt is 350 ($3.5) (people in Iran eat yogurt as a meal with bread). Where can we bring the money to pay for all these? Some has so much that don’t even care about anything, cooks chicken and beef few times a week and some wishes to eat chicken or beef or a healthy food full of vitamins at least once a week so they wont get weak and pass out at the house.

There have been times when our food consists of cheese and bread, but majority of the times we eat lighter foods. Well, sometimes we would have things to eat, but there have been times that we didn’t even have oil, rice or even bread to be able to cook something. We would go without food, but wouldn’t let anyone know. God is witness that the owner of the dairy market in our area would help us, especially during the month of Ramadan. He would bring food so we can eat and open our fast. If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask him. Even now, this old man calls and asks us to go and get something, just a little yogurt…

Mother: I’m not able to work anymore. I’m ashamed of myself in front of my kids; I’m not capable of doing anything. I have no help from anywhere, absolutely no help. I have thought about us dying together few times, I have even bought chemicals and have cooked it. I have eaten just a little bit of it myself; I wanted to try it first. I wanted us to at least die with pride. Two of my kids are in prison, my two sons. I’m too embarrassed to go and visit them. Monday was visit day of one of them, the one in Evin prison visit day is on Saturdays, God is witness that I haven’t been to visit either one of them.

Reporter: Why?
Mother: I’m too embarrassed to go visit empty handed, to give them at least 5000 Toomans ($5). It’s difficult in prison, they do need a little money, and I’m too embarrassed to go!
Girl: If you listen to any girls in our situation, they would say the something, and if they have done anything or gone anywhere is because they also have our problems or maybe even worse. So don’t blame us (the young people) go and find the root cause, who is responsible for all these.