WATCH: ‘Dad Told Me To Dress Up Nice, Took Me To Gżira And Pimped Me Out When I Was 13-Years-Old’
A young Maltese woman has recounted the path that led her down the road to prostitution, with central figures like her own father playing a key role in her life turning upside down.
Speaking on TV show Topik, the woman, who was kept anonymous to hide her identity, recounted how she began taking drugs at the age of 11 – before her drug-abusing father approached her one day and took her to Gżira when she was 13, changing her life forever.
As a result, she no longer has faith in men, and has been left shaken and abused by the horrific personal ordeal.
“One day he told me, ‘get dressed, dress in something nice, and I’ll show you where I’ll take you’, and I would do what my father asked me to do,” she said, recounting back to that fateful day.
“We went to Gżira… I didn’t know where we were going, but when we got there, I saw the women, plus I had heard some things before… but when you actually go there, your head starts spinning with what you are seeing.”
Soon enough, at the age of 13, she found herself sexually pleasing clients with her father’s blessing.
“When I started that line of work, I had no experiences with men at all. At first, it was shameful for me… I remember, before I developed a drug problem, whenever a guy tried to flirt with me, I’d just drop my eyes to the floor.”
“It was always hard, but it was really hard at the beginning – I didn’t know how to perform, how to act… I didn’t know anything. But then, with time, well, whether you like it or not, you learn.”
“When I started, if I wasn’t high on drugs I wouldn’t perform, I wouldn’t prostitute myself, because I didn’t do anything straight and sober.”
“Either way though, no matter what drugs I took, I would still cry by myself after it was all done.”
As a 13-year-old prostitute in Gżira, she faced many challenges – from clients, other sex workers and more. Her father would drop her off and wait in the car until she was done, but she didn’t feel safe – especially with what she was being asked to do.
“I did things I never dreamt in my life of doing. I remember – not all clients – but some of the clients’ requests would blow my mind,” she said. “And the more you’d say no to the man, the more he’d be ready to pay.”
“Unbelievable things… I didn’t even know some of these things existed… the little bit of faith I had in men, during the time I worked there, I lost it all.”
She dealt with everyone from married men to celebrities to priests.
“You’d see men who you would’ve seen walking hand in hand with their wife, then you see them there… all ages… you’d even see people you’ve seen on television.”
“Once a priest came, I was shocked… I laugh now, but I shouldn’t, the situation already wasn’t normal, but that’s even worse… locals, foreigners… you’ll see all types in Gżira, and the more you tell them no, the more they pay you to do it.”
When it came to her age, some clients were excited by her youth.
“People didn’t mind I was underage – some asked my age, and some enjoyed the fact that I was underage, and would offer more money.”
“Back when I worked as a prostitute, I was young, but I know that nowadays, there are even younger.”
She recounted one of her worst memories, when she was forced to have unprotected sex with a gun pointed at her.
“Once, a guy put a revolver in my mouth, and I had to do whatever he wanted me to do,” she says quietly. “Ħeq, in that situation, I couldn’t even use protection, and when you see a revolver, you freeze.”
“Another time, I was beaten by other prostitutes – they were charging Lm5 (Maltese lira) and I was charging Lm10… they were older than me, I was new and I was working hard at that time.”
She explained how she had between 10 to 20 different men a night, all while underage… and all the money she made, she would spend on drugs with her father.
Grown up, she looks back at her broken childhood with deep regret and sadness – but she is determined not to have it ruin her life and to carry on.
“I am not angry – I am just hurt, deeply hurt. If I have kids, I want them to be better than me, not worse than me. I feel victimised – I was a victim, but now I’ve escaped that part of my life… But the past always chases me.”
Have you or a loved one faced a similar experience? Speak to Lovin Malta in confidence by contacting us at [email protected] or [email protected]
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