“Many of the women that Missionaries of the Word meet in the red-light district have a past worse than what most of us can imagine. Many have been forced into prostitution from a very, very young age. Unfortunately, Missionaries of the Word have seen girls as young as 5-6 selling sex.””
— Pia Lindell Qwist, Stifter & Generalsekretær i Gadens Børn
A careful approach
The Red Light District is an incredibly harsh environment to be in. It is highly controlled, with strict hierarchies determining the positions of the girls, how they receive protection, and the subsequent payments. There are clear rules governing everything on the street, including the rooms and the roles of the women. In 2021, we began outreach work in the Red Light District and have since been working diligently to establish trust among the women and their children in the area.
The intensity of this environment, with its rigid rules and hierarchies, requires us to carefully consider every step we take. We must be cautious, as even a small misstep can lead to serious problems, and we are acutely aware of this. We approach our work with the utmost sensitivity, recognizing that establishing trust is paramount. Our primary mission is to show the women that we are there solely to provide them with care and understanding. There is never any form of judgment; the women are always met with compassion, love, and warmth.
A Safe House
To gain an overview of the urgent need for assistance in the area, our social team, nurses, and doctors regularly work in the field. They provide women working at night with free treatments, medication, and contraception. We have become their lifeline during particularly challenging times.
We are currently in the process of establishing a center that will offer women from the Red Light District a safe place to seek refuge and escape the harsh conditions under which they live and work. At the center, women will receive two nutritious meals a day and have access to sewing classes. Our goal is to empower them to develop new skills and create a pathway out of street life, enabling them to build a future with more options and greater security.
The Safe House is intended to be a sanctuary for the women — a place where they feel safe and can receive the counseling they desperately need. Whether it’s to escape from addiction or to process the violence they have experienced, the center will serve as their refuge where they can seek help.
A strong emotional bond
The women are happy that MOW is around and looks after them. They now feel comfortable with the outreach team and know they can trust them. The outreach team talks with these women about life, how they feel and give lots of hugs and love. In addition, they listen to their challenges.
Unresolved feelings sometimes come to the surface, when conversations get tough. MOW shows them their deepest sincerity. Many of these women have not yet been met with much care in their lives. The fact that MOW is allowed to get this close to the women is a sign of deep trust. In this way the bond between them only gets stronger. The majority of these women have cruel pasts, and some of them entered the sex industry by the age of 14-15. We have been shocked to discover, that some have been in the industry since the age of 5-6. These women do not know any other areas than the Red-Light District.
This is why, we are also in the process of establishing a women's center, which will function as the their safe space. A place where the women can feel safe and get counseling. Whether it is about getting out of abuse or processing all the violence, they have been subjected to, the center must be a place, where they can seek help.