Two teachers from the Zespół Szkół Handlowych i Usługowych organize series of lectures and meetings on important social issues every year. – Ten years ago, we were intrigued by the issue of protests against the construction of a shelter for people with AIDS – says Elżbieta Gawlik-Jakubiak. – Together with Dariusz Rataj, we decided to address this issue at school and help students become familiar with it. That is how the idea for a series of lectures came about.
This year, it consists of a series of meetings. The topics are varied: the issue of HIV infection returned, there was a meeting with hospice staff, and there will also be a meeting with an addiction therapist. The topic that attracted considerable interest among young people was the problem of prostitution involving minors. The lecture on this subject was prepared by Teresa Rudzińska, a school counselor and director of the Przychodnia Pedagogiczno-Psychologiczna.
– This is a very difficult subject that is practically never discussed – says Gawlik-Jakubiak. – We were inspired by the campaign of the Fundacja Dzieci Niczyje against child prostitution during the European football championships in Poland and Ukraine. Children must be made aware of this danger – she adds.
We have covered the issue of prostitution involving minors in articles entitled “Blachary, nie galerianki” and “Wyprzedaż na małolaty”.
Being a Galerianka
Teresa Rudzińska prepared the lecture using excerpts from the film “Galerianki.” It is the story of a modest, intelligent girl who, persuaded by her friends and influenced by her own choices, began selling her body for small sums of money and gifts purchased in shopping malls.
Many students had heard of the film, but few had seen it. The primary purpose of the presentation was to explain the mechanisms that led the main character to become a galerianka.
Each of the film’s female characters is different. The villain, Milena, is, according to Rudzińska, a very lonely girl, abandoned by her parents and family. There is emptiness around her. Blond is a developmentally delayed girl who allows everyone to exploit her. Kaja “Gruba” is a deeply insecure girl for whom sexual encounters are a way of boosting her self-esteem.
Ala, the main character, is a modest, intelligent student. An outsider in her class, with no friends and no acceptance. She stands out because of her cheap, non-brand-name clothes and old mobile phone. Her classmates differ from her through their apparent self-confidence; they are accepted by the group and wear expensive, fashionable clothes. Ala is drawn to them. But nothing suggests that the world of the galerianki will pull her in. Especially since she meets a boy her age. A nice classmate is clearly interested in her.
Two Encounters
Teresa Rudzińska drew the students’ attention to the turning point which, in her opinion, broke down all the girl’s barriers and caused her transformation. It was the unfortunate moment when she caught her mother cheating on her father. Ala unexpectedly entered the kitchen, where her mother was embracing her lover. At that moment, the girl decided to have her first sexual encounter for money with an adult man found for her by Kaja.
Ala transforms into a seductive Lolita, but she also experiences deep humiliation, self-loathing and guilt. She makes increasingly worse decisions. She meets with a classmate who is in love with her. She wants to seduce him, and when the boy is unable to have intercourse after several caresses, the girl mercilessly mocks him.
– The first encounter with an adult man is a brutal rape of the girl’s psyche – Rudzińska explained during the lecture. – The second encounter, with a peer, involving touching and caresses, is the only natural form of contact for teenagers. It is consistent with their psychological development.
The Body Is a Commodity
The speaker also addressed the problem of treating one’s own body as a commodity that can be sold to any customer if that person decides to pay more or less.
– A raped person must stop feeling in order not to experience disgust and humiliation – Rudzińska explained. – They lose respect for themselves and often numb themselves with alcohol or drugs. The problem of rape and prostitution affects men and women to the same extent – the school counselor added.
The statistics presented by the speaker look grim: one in ten female students has a sponsor, and the galerianki are increasingly younger children, aged 13–14. One in four middle-school students knows a boy or girl who engages in prostitution. More and more teenagers are advertising online, offering their bodies to sponsors. Girls are auctioning their virginity.
– The film’s Ala received 20 złoty for her body, dignity and purity – Rudzińska said. – I would like to leave you, at the end of our meeting, with a thought and a question: how much are you worth? And I would like you to remember the consequences of your actions. In life, as in dance, every step matters – the speaker concluded her lecture.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)