Amsterdam

Thursday, May 14, 2009

by Laurie Grotelueschen

The day started with a cup of strong Dutch coffee and a croissant. After the breakfast of champions we were picked up by Elizabeth from Scarlet Cord and headed to a high school outside of Amsterdam for a prostitution prevention class. Scarlet Cord has been invited to area high schools to conduct a prevention seminar on “lover boys” (pimps) and prostitution. Each seminar is designed to make the young girls aware of the tactics and lies of lover boys. These guys often prey on vulnerable girls and become their boyfriend, woo them, and then coerce them into prostitution through a rather lengthy and psychologically manipulative process. This class had eight girls in it, aged 14. The entire class was conducted in Dutch, which made it very interesting to try and figure out what was being said and what the reaction of the girls was. We could read the body language and the reactions of the girls as they were asked to respond to certain statements with a red or green card to signify yes or no. Scarlet Cord has developed an entire curriculum that can be used in the public schools and conducted seminars in over 35 schools this year. Wellspring International has provided $15,000 USD toward funding this program since its inception in 2006. With full government support, Scarlet Cord is getting tremendous positive feedback from students and school administration regarding the effectiveness of this program.

From there we went to the offices of Scarlet Cord for lunch and a brief business meeting. Naomi and I met with Toos, who is the director of the Scarlet Cord office. We spent the afternoon on a bench by the canals listening to Toos tell us about all that was happening with Scarlet Cord, the girls behind the windows, and plans for the future. She spoke of a new partnership with a high profile international employment firm that now works with Scarlet Cord to facilitate job placement for girls who have left prostitution and are seeking employment that fits their educational background, professional skills, and dreams. She told us of her hopes to develop prevention tools in various languages and suitable for different cultural backgrounds. It was certainly an eye opening experience for me. I heard about a world that I did not really know existed - a world of human trafficking and sexual slavery. HIV/AIDS, poverty, and homelessness are in the news every day and are the chosen cause of many of the Hollywood “elite,” but in my secluded suburban world, I never knew of the dark and desperate situation of so many women and children around the world.

Evening drew near and it was time for us to head into the Red Light District. We went upstairs into the office and prayed. We prayed for Him to lead us to those who needed to hear from Him that night and with a heartfelt "Amen" we went out. We were here to participate in the "Street Work" of Scarlet Cord. Wellspring provides funding toward this program each year, as the staff of Scarlet Cord engage in the opportunity to meet the girls working in the District, to build relationships, to let them know what they do. The purpose of Street Work is to let the girls know about Scarlet Cord and that they are available to facilitate a safe exit, provide counseling, housing, and assistance with education and job placement should they choose any of these options. The choice is left up to each girl. I have to admit that the butterflies in my stomach turned into bats the closer we got to the street.

My first impression as we walked out of the alley and onto the street was one of eerie darkness bathed in the glow of red lights. It reminded me of all the old movies depicting hell. You could feel the oppression weigh down on you like a heavy blanket. I guess in my mind I expected to see brazen, hardcore women enticing men from behind the windows, but when I finally dared to look into one my heart broke into a million pieces. The very first window I looked into had a young, clearly frightened young girl. This was not what I was expecting and I wept inside at the hopelessness I saw in her young face. As I continued to walk down the street looking in the windows I saw sadness, fear, and desperation. There were a few who seemed to put on a good show for the clientele, but if you looked closely, the smile seemed to be painted on and there was no visible life in their eyes. In those first few moments the Lord showed me that these were His precious children and, if my heart was breaking, His was breaking even more. As we walked through the street, Toos commented on how many were new. We learned that many are trafficked in from places like Hungary and Romania. They come with the expectation of a job in the restaurant business or house keeping, and others come out to work in the Red Light District for a few months to try to make money to support a desperate family back home. But oftentimes, upon arrival, the organized network takes their passports and imposes enormous debts on them. They are a commodity.

Toos began knocking on the windows and introducing herself to them. If they spoke some English she would tell them that she was with Scarlet Cord and give them a card with the numbers to call if they needed anything. She has cards and books in every language. The books are stories written by girls who were in prostitution and then came out of the industry. Toos also offered Bibles. It was amazing how many girls really wanted the Bibles. Before the night was over, Toos had run out.

Toos went into a booth to talk to one of the girls that she knew while Naomi and I waited around the corner. While we were waiting I took the opportunity to observe those who were milling about the streets. My heart went from broken to enraged at what I saw. Tour groups were being ushered down the street by a guide. These groups were full of what I would call the “retirement crowd.” Men and women who were my parents’ ages, out on a tour as if it were the zoo or something. I wanted to march right up to them and give them a scolding. What on earth were they doing here gawking at these girls as if they were animals in the zoo? Didn’t they realize these girls were somebody’s daughter, granddaughter? This could have been a member of their family. How would they feel if they looked in the window and saw their daughter? Then there were the men, old men, young boys, businessmen, and the loverboys, all walking up and down the streets and the alleys, looking in the windows and judging each girl as if they were shopping for a car or something. The loverboys stand back and watch. I noticed that a few of the girls would look behind us when we talked with them and suddenly tell us they could not talk. They had obviously been warned not to.

Later Toos and I went into the booth of a young girl named Vanessa. Vanessa was from Russia and actually came of her own will (or so she said). She told us how she came to make money to go to school. She saw that the most money could be made in Amsterdam so she came here. She had been there two years and had no money. She found that prostitution was not what it was cracked up to be. Gone were the dreams of riches and going back wealthy only to be replaced by a resigned hopelessness that all those dreams were now dead. She told us that there was emptiness in her heart now. It was at this point that Toos shared the Gospel with her. While Toos was sharing what Jesus could do to fill the emptiness in her heart, Vanessa listened intently. She allowed us to pray for her and accepted the books that Toos had. We hugged each other and then left as she once again assumed her pose in the window. I keep praying that the Holy Spirit will take the seed that Toos planted that night and make it bloom into beautiful fruit for Vanessa.

We continued to walk through the streets for a little while longer. I stood amazed at this beautiful church that stood vacant and abandoned in the middle of the Red Light District. It reminded me of something I had read recently in Ezekiel 10 where the Glory of the Lord leaves the temple. As the people of Israel slowly gave themselves to idols and wickedness the LORD pulled back from the temple, eventually leaving it altogether. The abandoned church certainly revealed that God had removed His glory. But, lest I end this on a depressing note, I think of Toos and all the wonderfully dedicated people at Scarlet Cord who carry God’s light and glory into the darkness of Amsterdam and its Red Light District. The Lord tells us in Acts 13:47, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” Through this experience, God has made me very aware of how much we need to be a light to these girls and in this place.