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When we sent out an email on Saturday, asking for your help to block a statue of former mayor of Taiobeiras, convicted paedophile Joel Cruz, we hoped for a good outcome - but never imagined what ended up happening...
The current (and outgoing) mayor of the town, Danilo Mendes, had put up an image of the man who had abused hundreds of young girls during decades right in the middle of a children's playground (video here). We asked you to stand up for his victims by bombarding his Instagram post with messages demanding that the statue be removed and not placed anywhere else in the town.
Thank you to all of your who did. Within minutes Danilo was deleting your comments, before disabling comments on that post, and finally disabling comments on his whole Instagram account. Some of you then started sending messages to his email! (Our Brazil office team referred to you as 'warriors'!)
What happened? Mayor Danilo, a nephew of Cruz, clearly didn't want to hear. But your messages brought the issue to attention locally, as people commented on the barrage of messages, eventually reaching a local judge. He looked up Joel Cruz's court record. Cruz had been serving his sentence under house arrest using an ankle bracelet, but the judge found an outstanding arrest warrant for him for travelling out of the area allowed. Police had decided not to act on it, but the judge immediately ordered his arrest and he was returned to jail! So thanks to a statue meant to honour him, Cruz is now back behind bars and not enjoying the luxury of house arrest he had been.
And the statue? The statue has been removed from the playground after the negative reaction, but Danilo had said it would be erected in another part of town. But after the commotion and Cruz's re-arrest, the incoming mayor, who takes office next month, has said he will destroy the statue. And if Danilo puts it up before leaving office, he will have it removed.
Thank you again to everyone who helped us stand up for the victims of Cruz's systematic child abuse. We have also been encouraged to see a difference in how the local population view his crimes since he was caught and convicted, something that would not have happened without those of you who wrote letters the first time. Together we can bring change and make a difference!
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Last week our Pink House in Medina moved to new premises. A number of structural problems meant the previous building was becoming difficult to maintain. The new building is also a few streets away from the main town square, with lots of space and different indoor and outdoor areas. After a few days closed for moving, the house reopened smoothly and has since been welcoming even more girls than before!
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CONVERSATION CIRCLES are the heart of what we do at our Pink Houses, important times when our teams lead the girls in honest and open chats about their lives, their value, identity and aspirations. Here are some of the conversation circles which have taken place in Pink House Medina over the last week...
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2020 wasn't the year any of us had expected. At Meninadança, too, we began the year full of hope and expectation, seeing girls beginning to believe in themselves and find hope for the future. Then the lockdown came, lasting six long months in Brazil, and hitting our work and the girls hard.
Some of the situations our teams have been dealing with have been heartbreaking, with many families, having lost their already meagre incomes, lacking the basics such as food and clothes. Some girls disappeared for days on end, others fell pregnant. The reopening of the Pink Houses in September has meant that many girls have used the space spaces to open up about what they have been through, and our staff have been hugely affected by what they have heard.
We are fearful that, over the coming months, the need will become overwhelming. We know what rising poverty will mean - more suffering, more injustice, more girls being sent to make money on the motorway. And the hope we have seen flickering brighter inside them might be snuffed out.
That's why we have launched our End of 2020 campaign. Could you give a one-off donation, or sign up to give a small amount monthly?
An extra £10 a month pays for one girl to have a healthy meal at the Pink House every day. A £50 donation pays a month's salary of a dance teacher. £100 pays for one girl to have a ten-week course of healing one-to-one sessions with a psychologist.
Your gift, however small, will make a huge difference, helping reestablish hope in girls who deserve more than ever to be protected and empowered.
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| CLICK HERE TO DONATE |
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Highway to Hell revealed the tragedy of child prostitution on the BR-116 for the first time. Order your copy for a discounted price of just £5 and get a free Meninadança bookmark! There's still time to get it in time for Christmas.
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| CLICK HERE TO BUY |
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