Dying Gasp (23 page)

Author’s Note

T
HIS IS A WORK of fiction based on some sad realities.

In Brazil, the prostitution of children has reached epic proportions, and the country has become one of the world’s premier destinations for men seeking sex with minors. The trade is often carried out with the enthusiastic support of local law enforcement.

Visitors to cities in Brazil’s north and northeast are often surprised to find eleven- and twelve-year-olds sitting on curbs, playing with dolls, while they wait for clients.

In January 2006, the Brazilian federal government completed an investigation of the police department of Manaus. It resulted in more than a hundred officers being expelled from the force and charged with crimes ranging from theft and extortion to kidnapping and murder.

In Belém, up until recently, seventy-seven of the one hundred and fourteen houses of prostitution were offering children from eleven to seventeen years of age. Five houses specialized in children exclusively.

At the same time, in Arapina, the “services” of girls as young as eight could be bought for ten Reais, about five American dollars.

Recent estimates suggest that at least a half million Brazilian girls under the age of eighteen are currently working as prostitutes. As for snuff videos, despite evidence to the contrary, some people continue to regard them as nothing more than urban legends.

They aren’t.