Diario Libre special: Homage to mothers

It doesn't matter what her work is, her civil status, or age, or nationality, her genetic condition or the number of children she has, being a mother implies sacrifice, dedication, responsibility, patience and discipline, qualities that no school can teach, but that these six women acquired and adapted to their reality.

Thank you mother

They say there is only one mother, but there are more than one kind: All make an effort and have known how to overcome life's situations. These mothers, which follow, have something in common: they are not those that tend to stand out in the media, but their stories also deserve to be told.

"I want my children to remember me as a fighter"

Jacqueline Monteiro, city Councilwoman and former sexual worker

By Karla Hernández 

In front of me, a sign announced the celebration of a national meeting on the rights of sexual workers. I waited for her. "Jacqueline left for a moment but she'll be back in about five minutes," answered someone, perhaps the secretary. "She said please don't go."

"You want coffee?", asked another woman of medium stature. "No thank you," I answered. "I already had one this morning." I looked at her as she walked down a long hallway. In another time that place was a small family apartment. Now after several annexes, they are the offices of the United Women's Movement (Modemu), an association which monitors and watches out for the rights of the sexual workers.

"Karla? Hola! Excuse me being late. I had to do some "quick" errands, Jacqueline Monteiro, the President of the Association excuses herself. "Let's begin," she continued almost immediately. I smiled. "Are you ready?," I asked her. "Always," she answered with an even bigger smile.

How is the life of a sex worker and mother?," I asked. "The same as that of everybody. During the day you carry out a normal life. You wake up a little later because nearly always the work is at night, and the majority register their children in school in the afternoon in order to be able to get up at 10 or 11 and cook for them. From the time they are small they don't know what one does at work. When they grow is when they realize what it is."

"How many children do you have?," I asked her again. "Three are mine, but I have raised a lot. I like children, above all the girls." "And they know what you do?", I asked her almost surprised. "Rather what I used to do. I left that life 15 years ago. But yes they knew. I remember that the little boy was asked if he was the son of the whore... But in spite of everything I'm doing well. I have my children that I love and they love me, I have my house, my business, I am a city Councilwoman and an aspiring candidate to be a deputy for Haina. I know that everything has a purpose. If everything that I have experienced had not happened, I couldn't tell the girls that you can leave it because I did it."

I sat down slowly. In front of me, the sign disappeared. It was substituted by a mother of extraordinary force.

Walkiria Soto Sanchez, adolescent

"When I see my boy running and well, then I am happy"

By Glennys González

In spite of her youth (16) she speaks with a sureness of the responsibility which having a child represents. She knows many things have changed in her life, but one thing she has clear: to keep studying.

Q. When you found out that you were pregnant, how did you react?

A. I started to cry.

Q. How did your family and friends take it?

A. My mother found out and she told me to accept it, that everything was going to be all right and that she was even going to help me. Some of my girlfriends rejected me and I felt a little bad, but in a little while they also got pregnant.

Q. What happened in school?

A. They let me finish the year but then they kicked me out.

Q. Are you still studying?

A. Yes, I'm now in the third year of high school, at night.

Q. Why did you choose to have it?

A. Because I didn't want to get rid of it, this is like ugly.

Q. What changed in your life?

A. Many things. I continue studying, but I have goals that now I don't know if I can reach them, because I have to take care of the little boy.

Q. What dreams did you have?

A. I wanted to be a civil engineer. My mother tells me that this is a very expensive profession, that if in the UASD....

Q. What did you stop doing?

A. I stopped hanging out with the girls and these things that girls do (she laughs). I stopped having fun, going out to dance and things like that.

Q. What did you feel while the baby grew?

A. I felt strange but happy.

Q. How was the birth?

A. I didn't have any birth pains and they had to do a C-section because the baby was 8 pounds and they said that I was too small to be able to push it.

Q. Do you have any bad memories or trauma?

A. My belly has a lot of stretch marks and I used to cry, but this doesn't interest me anymore; I see my son is well, running, and I feel happy.

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