A woman questioned one of the statistics in my story about Jenny. She said, “You’re exaggerating about the part in the story where it says that ‘her door swings thirty times a night,’ right?”
I responded, “Some handlers, or pimps, demand that the children under their control serve thirty clients a night, others demand twenty. I watched one documentary where pimps even set a timer for 15 minutes to maximize their profits.”
The woman shook her head.
Shared Hope International reports that “underage sex workers average 6,000 clients over the course of five years, and are typically instructed to serve between 10 and 15 clients per night. However, reports confirm that girls have served as many as 45 clients in a day during peak demand times, which includes major sports events.”
The Scarlet Cord Crossing Boundaries
One man said, “When you go to a hotel in Mexico City, you are offered a ‘señorita; she comes with the room.’”
After viewing The Scarlet Cord, a woman went to sit on a nearby park bench where she cried. For the next 30 minutes, a man, perhaps her boyfriend, wrapped his arm around her and tried to console her.
Returning to The Scarlet Cord
A young woman who had experienced sexual abuse returned to see The Scarlet Cord installation. “This exhibit is killing me,” she said, “but I had to come back.”
She added, “The deeper you step into the abuse, the deeper the addiction. The thin scarlet cord pictures the connection I experienced with my abusive boyfriend. As you move through this exhibit the cord thickens, like the entrapment I lived. You can’t walk away.”
The Scarlet Cord Opening Hearts
The middle-aged woman grasped my hand with tear-filled eyes. No words were spoken. She could only look into my eyes for a few brief moments. I stared back.
Then she slowly walked away. Each footstep filled with pain. Shoulders rounded. Head bent downward.
A couple of minutes later, another woman embraced her, perhaps a friend. They stood close together for several minutes. Maybe whispering words of healing. Maybe sharing only tears.
