What is the worth of a city where there is no housing set in place for women who have live and work on the streets??When times are tough the golden apples seem to be over the fence just down the road.Most of the women I met as a street worker were just looking for the golden apple of the moon.They came from a society where two generations their grandfathers were coming home from war the our colonised government set up alcohol drunk tanks called them legions and preached solidarity.
Sex has been around for as long as humans so has trading for it.Lots of money makers in the overall pictures of lawyers police Judges, even social workers, all war whores to the street worker who knows there is no change just support what is. This is the attitude I held.Acceptance is the only attitude for hope and promise for their happiness.
Here are a few tales of life on the streets as a worker in the social work field advocating for sex trade workers.
One evening after reports we were just getting our jackets when the phone rang."What do you think Jesus would say if he knew you were down there hanging around those wh....s!!!" her voice stony like ashes under a door.
"Well, mam Good question,I know for a fact beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is right here with us all the time too.Now you take care." I hung up feeling a bit shook.What a stupid question.My partner said something like yep this work brings out all the goons. That was an understatement as I look back at all the agencies and their mandates of services that they figured were going to raise them up.Up to their levels.Think again.
These women taught me so much about where I live and what compassion we lack.How we set up ourselves to fail from very early ages to believe we are victims and that our happiness depends on a love that is so child-killing its a wonder any of our off springs can move into a healthy life style and learn from their inner wisdoms at all.Fear of pregnancy, fear of failure, fear of being different and individualistic, fear of creativity and just fear of being afraid were what i saw in their eyes.day after day night after night.But they knew how to laugh, they knew how to set up a sting so sweet you had to give them credit for their ingenuous ingenuity.Booze was their worst enemy and their best co-worker.They loved and hated each other. Compulsiveness, obsessions, oppression made for the funniest moments of survival.
We approached a women on her spot one night she was jonesing hard for cocaine.Prancing was her activity as we approached her."What's the problem Missey?" OH GOD!!!! that stupid f.....r !!I just lost my trick.That stupid f.....r he forgot the f...ing DOG!!!! The John had come out saying to his wife he was going to walk the dog.The stories these men told their wives made you wonder what planet they were married on??
From time to time we went out to the Churches in the area.the question we were asked were very informative and helped up range our work into the disciplines of the community , however from time to time we would get a question from the wrong side of our attitudinal preference. Women have no sense of authority even women in positions of power are mostly acting in patriarchal ways.they dont want to chance being vulnerable and having to take a risk or stand up for what they really themselves believe due to experience or from doing their homework or soul searching.These women are in denial and on this after noon church tea we encountered this question: "What do you talk about to prostitutes"?"I mean how can you communicate with them what do you talk about? I smiled at the inference to myself on the inside."We talk about where to get the best haircut or where to shop for the best products like bread or milk or what type of sandwiches we like.Sometimes what condoms work well or who is nasty as a trick.But not often.We talk about the same things I talk about with most of my friends". They all looked relieved.We WERE NOT talking about their husbands !!!!Joking!!!
There really is NO Us or them, we are all living and breathing on the same earth under the same sun, there are many ways women can come together and dialogue for the better of our communities, when we stop working to the detriment of our bodies,when we stop diverting our pain into over achieving , and when we look at family values outside of our own here in North America, ie: Jewish, Arab, Amerindian, many of these cultures have been here way longer than we have and have a much healthier ancient perspective on the job of Prostitution and how to heal it into our fabric.
