By Ayaka Fujiwara

Eric, 10, a student

The last person I asked was Eric. He was 10 years old, and he was a second year student. He was a Viara school student, but he went there only once a week. His family was very poor, so he couldn't go to school and study only one time in a week.

"I only go to school on Tuesday. I'm studying reading and writing skills. It's very interesting! But some of my friends come here almost every day, so they can read and write better than me. I want to be like them." He said.

I asked what he usually did except Tuesday, than he answered. It was really shocking.

"I usually help housework. We need water to live. But there were no water in this village, so people in this village go to a well and draw water. It's very far from here. It takes 2 hours to get there, and 2 hours to come back here. It is really hard work, but in order to live and help my family, I go there every day. We use big buckets and bring water to our village. At first, it was so hard and tiring, but now I got used to do it."

He said with a smile, as he kept talking.

"After I bring water to our village, I go out and stand on the street at nights. I usually go out in Rio de Janeiro. While I am standing there, sometime men ask me for sex. They pay me money, and I give them to my parents. I can help my family with this money."

I got surprised. In order to get money, he stands on the streets and sells his body. I asked how much money he got, and he said, "I get 80 cents for one sex."

80 cents were too cheap because they can't live with only 80 cents. In this village, people can buy only one potato by paying 60 cents. I was really shocked. "If I sex three times in one night, I'll get 270 cents! You know, I can help my family with this money."

I asked whether his parents knew how he got the money or not.

"No, they don't know. I just say I'm working in Rio de Janeiro and get money. They really appreciate me when I give them money, so I can't say what in fact I'm doing at night."

When I heard it, I could say nothing. I had heard like this story when I was in Japan, and I couldn't imagine. However, I realized there are money children like Eric in Brazil. In order to live, they go out at night and wait for being asked for sex. They can get only little money, but for them, it's really important.

"I want to help my family and I want to study more at Viara school, so I need money. It's our destinies."

I was wondering if he might get the HIV virus. He might be infected with HIV.

"I don't know, but I think I have the virus. In this country, many children have the virus. They get it from their mother and child infections, and sometime from other people like me. Of course we want to live longer, but we want to live today first."

I think he was one of the persons living with AIDS, and that he also knows it. But I think he won't stop selling his body on the streets.