Streetlight:
Suga sa Dalan Organization, Inc.
About Streetlight
In the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro, there are dozens of minors who work as prostitutes. Until now these children have fallen through the cracks of other social services and aid organizations. Streetlight is an organization which wants to fill this gap through outreach work.
On an appreciative and accepting basis, we aim to build trusting relationships with all of those involved. The team of Streetlight works in the area of damage reduction, shows ways to exit prostitution, and accompanies the girls, with the help of our local partners, on this journey.
What We Do
- Appreciative and accepting approach to strengthen their self-worth and to build trusting relationships
- Damage reduction through education and medical treatment
- Clarification of their rights and support in court cases
- Reintegration in the family or integration in a facility-based institution
- Help with re-entry in school and covering the expenses for their education
- Close monitoring of the girls, their families, and schools during the aftercare
How You Can Help
With low financial and personnel investments, the project can guide the lives of many young people in a healthier direction: away from the streets and the redlight district, back to a safe environment and to school, and, therefore, to a better future. To be able to offer these girls this opportunity, we are dependent on your donations.
Our monthly expenses are limited to the salary of the small team on site, as well as the expenses for the medical treatment and the education of the clients, gasoline, and hygiene products. Your donation fully benefits Streetlight as there are hardly any administrative expenses in Switzerland.
Background
In the port city of Cagayan de Oro, on the southern Philippine Island Mindanao, a lot of children and youth live on the streets. Above all, girls are at risk to become involved in prostitution at a very young age.
There are different NGOs and projects from the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) who offer shelter and education for neglected, abused, abandoned, and very poor children, as well as children who are living on the street.
In 2016, the network “bantay KASO” (Kagay-anon against sex offenders) was founded, of which Esther Bühlmann is a member. Besides relevant NGOs and members from the CSWD, a human rights organization is part of the network.
They offer legal advice and legal assistance for free to sexually abused children and women when it comes to court cases. Furthermore, a doctor and a social worker from the biggest hospital in the city are included to examine victims after abuse and to write a required medico legal (a required medical legal document) from the court.
What is missing is a project that works on the frontlines with minors in prostitution, conducting regular visits at their workplace, building trust with the girls, and offering help.
Most of these children were already abused at home, which is why they decided to run away and live on the streets. Other children fled from extreme poverty and neglect and joined other kids on the streets who share their fate.
But as children on the streets, they are vulnerable to again become victims of sexual, physical, and/or psychological abuse. Furthermore, like all the other children in street situations, the young sex workers don’t know their rights or where to seek help.
They may also be too ashamed, due to their work, to use the existing offers of help from NGOs or the city. Streetlight wants to fill this exact gap.