Abuse Drama is Powerful and Spiritually Liberating
The Universe
(June 15, 2003)
IN two weeks’ time, I will be in Ireland with the PREDA-AKBAY youth advocacy theatre group to present the musical drama “Once we had a Dream”.
This is based on a true story of young people from the rural villages in the Philippines who's dreams for good family lives are shattered when they are trafficked abroad by criminals as child prostitutes. The story relates the brave and courageous investigation that leads to their eventual rescue and the arrest of the criminals
Over 1.5 million young teenagers are trafficked against their will into the sex industry every year and there many that die of violence, drug overdose or AIDS. Many more live for years as slaves to their cruel masters who hold their passports and keep them in debt or addicted to drugs. Behind the bright lights of girlie bars and clubs across Europe there is an army of low-paid sex workers – many young teenagers – who are powerless to escape their fate. Here we have succeeded in rescuing some victims and, with the help of social services, closed down nine sex bars whose Australian and American operators and pimps are now on trial.
It is up to people of conscience and commitment to campaign for government action to end the slavery and free the children. They are often victimised over and over because the police all too frequently criminalise them and allow the sex slavers to go free.
The musical drama we are presenting across Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Ireland helps to highlight this social iniquity . It is a powerfully inspiring and dramatic presentation of the human experience and the strength and endurance of the Filipino youth faced with adversity. This is a story of the liberation of the spirit as it is of the victims of abuse and dehumanization. It will be presented in Dublin at the Liberty hall on June 27th at 5 PM and other venues to be announced later.
The eight young people in the drama group are active student volunteers . They spend much of their spare time helping rescue children from the streets, prostitution dens and illegal imprisonment just for being homeless.
Every week we find new child victims and move quickly to alert the government agencies to release them from prison. That is why we at PREDA are presently fundraising to renovate and convert an old building to a home where they will be safe from the brutality of the streets and abuse in the filthy, vermin-infested jails.
The drama, critical acclaimed in the Philippines, Germany, Austria and Canada, is one way to preach the saving power of God.
We all have to work to make the mission
of Jesus a living reality that really changes society ad the world. That is
to bring salvation here and now, establish the values that treasures every
human life and brings about a society of justice and love, compassion and
caring. We are challenged to do away with the greed and selfishness that can
turn us into cowards when confronted with adversity and the suffering of
others.
The courage of our convictions is rooted in our faith that the power of goodness is greater that of evil.
