I recently re-watched a fantastic film, “Maria Full of Grace” (2004) which tells of a 17-year old Colombian girl who, with a lack of income and future prospects, is persuaded to work as a drugs mule, swallowing heroin pellets to smuggle to the US. It really made me think just how relatively easily someone who is young, desperate, poor and/or vulnerable can be persuaded to undertake such dangerous and terrifying work.
Children out on the streets or living in high-risk situations are clearly very vulnerable to many pressures and may be coerced into drug smuggling, sexual exploitation, slavery, prostitution and international human trafficking.
Please do read more about the film or see the trailer. Or find out more about the reality in Bolivia of children being used as drug mules and/or trafficked to work in the sex trade or as slaves.
The film’s tagline states that it is “based on 1,000 true stories”. It is so vital that children are protected within Alalay rather than becoming just another hopeless story.
