Material: Sterling Silver
Size: 1" long x 1/4" wide
Clasp: Small dangle with hook ear wire
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In Cambodia, poverty forces some families to sell their daughters into brothels when they are as young as five years old for as little as $50. In turn, the brothel sells their services for $1.50. Around 30,000 of these sex workers are underage girls.
The window earrings are dedicated to Jorani. Jorani lives in Cambodia and as a child in Phnom Penh her job was to scavenge garbage heaps for discarded items that could be resold. One day, when she was a young teenager, a man she knew and trusted told her he could get her a housekeeper job paying $50 a month. She accepted the job without hesitation. For the first four days, she happily worked in the kitchen. On the fifth day, the owners asked her to put on makeup and greet guests. Then Jorani understood that the house was a brothel and she had been sold into slavery. She was forced to service clients around the clock, and beaten if she resisted.
Several weeks later, Jorani escaped her captors and ran away. She was fortunate enough to be introduced to Friends-International, a shelter housing street children. However, during her brief time of forced prostitution, Jorani contracted HIV/AIDS. With the support of the shelter, she has been able to live a productive life. She is now a full time employee at Friends International.
For more information about Friends-International, contact www.friends-international.org.
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