Ariatne* speak first. At 16, she looks younger, her face bright with enthusiasm. In bold, beautiful letters, she’s written: “Siento que merezco más” (I feel I deserve more) and “Mi lugar seguro” (My safe place). Beside the words is a small drawing of “Casa Esperanza”—a little house with a hearth at its center.
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For years, Marlene was trapped in sexual exploitation far from home. Fear overtook her when a friend from the brothel was murdered. Bolivia has one of the highest femicide rates in the world; every three days a woman is murdered, and women in prostitution face an even higher risk.
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When Andrés invited us to Casa Esperanza, there was so much distrust that few of us accepted. Some went only for the material help but others went because we wanted out, we wanted to see if someone could do something for us, if someone could help us leave the brothels or at least give us hope.
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In the city of El Alto, legally there's recognition that pornographic content fuels violence, gender discrimination and reinforces harmful stereotypes against women. However, putting this law into action seems like an insurmountable challenge.
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