Before the night comes, by Matt Roper
Our Western eyes can hardly believe what Matt Roper and his Canadian friend Dean Brody discover, as they drive along the longest highway in Brazil. An 11-year-old girl is offering her body to the passing lorry drivers for a few Reals.
A social worker in one of the small towns along the road admits to a huge underground market of underage girls. She would love to help these poor victims but finds herself up against a society that sees nothing wrong in the practice. In fact, it’s the mothers who send their own daughters out to the highway to prostitute themselves, as soon as they are 11 or 12 years old.
The remedy?
Matt simply cannot accept this criminal state of affairs. As a journalist of repute, he is able to publicise this misery and build up an interest group to finance a solution. Concerned locals band together to open a series of Pink Houses in the worst-affected towns. Meninadança (‘Girl Dance’) is born. Here the girls are welcomed, shown love and taught that they are of far greater worth than mere sex objects. As they enjoy the opportunity to dance, perform drama and be creative, they gain a new perspective on life.
Over many years, Matt and his friends have fought organised gangs of pimps and drug dealers, frightened police officers and uncooperative local government officials. During the 2016 Olympic Games, film crews from Brazil and the UK produced TV documentaries, highlighting the disastrous immorality. He even arranged a presentation in the British House of Commons, where a group of Meninadança dancers performed a dramatic drama illustrating the sexual exploitation of underage girls. Many of the distinguished guests – MPs, ministers, civil servants diplomats – wipe away tears, as they learn of the horrific conditions along Highway BR-116.
The results
Some of Matt’s efforts led to offenders being convicted and given long jail sentences. Some of the girls succeeded in beginning a new life, learning a profession and starting a family of their own. But thousands more still know of no other way to feed their family than by selling their body as a sex toy for truck drivers.
This book gives the impression of having been published in a hurry. But it is very readable and very disturbing. One can only hope the publicity it generates will result in many more girls’ lives being saved from a life of forced depravity.