Human dignity and productive work for all Nicaraguans
Bjoern ROENNBLAD,
Kristina THORSELL
LEON, NICARAGUA - "Now we aren't social outcasts anymore, as we were before. Now I can associate with all sorts of people, talk to people. We can go out
That's what Rosa said. She is one of the women working in a producers collective in Leon, habilitate former prostitutes.
In the collective, there are 25 women, all former prostitutes. There is a sewing shop that makes sheets, dolls, and toys.
There is also a shop for making textiles.
Some of the women run a buffet at the gate, and there is also a store where the women sell their own products.
In the store, we met Montilia, who is in charge of sales. Before we managed to ask any questions, she told us that today it was exactly two years since she last sold herself. She said that with a happy house for ten years." worked in a whore "Before that I
Rostran is one of the women who work in the sewing shop. She took a short break from the waiting heaps of un-
"When they first asked here, I could hardly believe it. It could not be. I had never done any other kind of work, only prostitution."
Rosa had that in common with all the other women here in the collective. Like the others also, she comes from a poor family of rural workers. There were no jobs, no way to get money.
Under the Somoza dictatorship, prosti-
In a horrible and refined system, the whore houses often worked in close collaboration with the dreaded National Guard. Guardsmen owned a lot of them.
the revolution triumphed in 1979, all the whore houses were closed to support the prostitutes and help them o find a place in the new society.
collaboration with the social workers and the Sandinista police, the women were lodged in a big confiscated mansion, which formerly belonged to Somoza's minister of agriculture.
The women got free medical care, clothes, food, psychological help, and
This was financed by the government through the Ministry for Social
There was also some interna-
A literacy program was started up, since many of the women were illiterate. Classes in needlework were started.
Sandinista organization, Juventud Sandinista, helped by collecting sewing machines, fabric remnants,
The women started by making dolls and small cushions, which they sold on the street before they started their own
They also went round to the other cities and towns. They divided the proceeds from the sales, and that provided
Rosa said that her first wage was 42 cordobas a week, which corresponds to 25 Swedish kronor [4 US dollars].
"In the beginning, it was very hard to learn to work. Since the pay was so low, a lot of us kept going on the streets on
"Now the pay is better and regular production is underway. Most get 400 cordobas a week, and the Ministry of
Welfare guarantees a minimum wage of 250 cordobas a week."
Although they get free medical and child care, this is still barely enough to
But Rosa has stopped going
"It took time. I couldn't change over night, all told, it took nearly two years. But the day came when I did not go out. I said to myself 'It has to stop now' charge of the educational program.
Besides this, there are political discussions all the time, about how the society functions, about the history of the
The educational program includes trips and outings, and the various mass organizations are invited to come in and report on their work.
The mass organizations play an important role in the entire project. AMNLAE, to which all the women belong, is responsible for further education.
ment, discussions are underway with the building workers union about building housing for the women who still have no real homes.
The CDS, the Sandinista neighborhood committees, play an important role in the residential neighborhoods.
inform people about prostitution and its causes, as well as about this project.
They help the women to adjust to where they are living, they help assure that these women are accepted in ordin-
"Now we aren't social outcasts any-
"I'm not afraid even to say that I was a whore," Rosa said.
That is the fundamental thing in this
Rehabilitation. repeated again and again when we talked about these women. step on the road. It is not the end of it.
The final objective is to see that the women get ordinary jobs, employment with a good wage and the same rights
The Ministry of Social Welfare places the women who are able to work. So far fifteen women in this project have gotten jobs. Nine of them are working in a state textile factory, the other six have various jobs, including managing a day-
These fifteen women come to the collective once a week to take part in a meeting to pool experiences and discuss
At present, the collective is led by three of the women plus a social worker. But Sandra, who "spent five years outside the railway station, will soon take over the social worker's job.
Similar projects are being run also in the cities of Corinto, Esteli, and Managua. They are part of a national plan that the government hopes can soon be extended to the entire country.
Before we shut off the tape recorder,
"Now, I have learned a job, and I we got this final message from Rosa:
But most of the women continued to prostitute themselves on the streets.
the backing of the Sandinista government, the Nicaraguan women's organization AMNLAE took an initiative like the work.
Before I came here, I
But now I've gone beyond that."
Rosa explained, among other things, that it became a problem that some
"I still don't understand anything about politics. I can't really keep up with
"But I understand very well what this revolution means for us."
International Viewpoint 14 November 1983