“I went to the police and said: Is there anyone here who’d like to adopt me? Or lock me up?”

Namn: Maryam
Age: 15

My brothers and sisters went off to the town with my mother, and she found another man but he abused my sister. Soon my sister was working as a prostitute. So I went to the police and said: “Is there anyone here who’d like to adopt me? Or lock me up? Do something, anything, because my mother is so awful.”

After four days a man came up and spoke to me. He wanted to buy me. 

They locked me up, but my father never came and got me. He actually refused. He didn’t want me. 
I was beaten by the police, so I ran away with a friend. We were able to stay with another friend, but I was raped there by some boys. I decided I had to get away, and I went to another small town nearby. There were other street children there that I could be with.
After four days a man came up and spoke to me. He wanted to buy me. I said no, and said that I may be a street child but I’m not a prostitute. Then he contacted the authorities and that’s how I came here.

They’ve contacted my father but I don’t want to go to him. He’s made advances too. And my mother is in prison because I told them how she made my sister sell sex.
I’ve got a long life ahead of me and I’m going to learn a lot of things. I now live i n a home for street children.I like working with my hands and weaving. I weave beautiful baskets and other things too, big things, I even weave babies’ cribs.