When Sharon was a teenager, her mother insisted that she accompanied her to the local bar to have sex with men in exchange for gifts and money. But Sharon didn’t like the idea and preferred going out with friends.

Years later, Sharon followed in the footsteps of her mother and took the only path in life she knew – prostitution. And like her mother, she pushed her own daughter into doing the same.

Sharon is the character in a play that depicts the realities faced by women in prostitution in Malta. The brutally-real story, with a bitter-sweet ending, is based on three generations of women who enter into prostitution.

Entitled Waħda Minna (One of us) the play is a collage of real moments and experiences in the lives of prostitutes, and their children, which scriptwriter and actress Angele Galea has collected since childhood.

The character of Sharon is, in fact, based on a childhood memory that remained ingrained in her mind.

Why her, not me?

When Angele was about 10 years old, her mother, a primary school teacher in a government school, had told her how one of her students was being forced into prostitution by her mother.

“That girl was my age at the time. She used to tell my mother that men at the bar gave her presents. She had her first child at the age of 13,” Angele recalls, adding that her mother often went home worried about such children.

“They’d go to school dirty, with cigarette burns, they’d steal. My mother would ask them why and they’d tell her it was not fair that other children had things they didn’t. Back then, I was about eight years old, I used to think: why them, not me?” she says.

I will not glamorise the world of prostitution with a happily-ever-after or false beliefs that it’s their choice

From a young age, Angele could see these children had no choice.

“Through this play I want to shatter the misconception that the media tries to portray – that prostitution is their choice, that it’s the oldest profession. But do you know how they started? Do they really have a choice? If you dig into it and give them an alternative, they will gladly take it,” she says passionately.

She has witnesses this firsthand by volunteering at Dar Hosea, a walk-in centre for women in prostitution.

Actress and script writer Angele Galea (right) during a rehearsal.

Not a choice

It all started some three years ago when Ms Galea, a seasoned actress and mother of two, attended a scriptwriting course and was asked to write a scene in an unusual setting. Her mind drifted back to those childhood memories and the stories her mother used to tell her. She wanted to learn more.

She was introduced to Dar Hosea where she became a volunteer, immersing herself with women to understand their stories and be able to give them a voice without exposing them.

A few months ago, Dar Hosea was awarded funds under the President’s Award for Creativity for a project that involved conceiving a play and offering drama therapy to women. Last month, the government announced a public consultation into a legal reform on tacking human trafficking where decriminalising prostitution will be a key pillar.

As part of the consultation process, Angele and Dar Hosea – who believe in criminalising the buying of sex – have used the play as a springboard to tell the real story of women in prostitution, stitching together common threads. This was not an easy experience for Angele.

“The first thing that shocked me was myself. I went there with an open heart, wanting to do good. But their look still repelled me. That reaction in me shocked me. I was repulsed by myself.

“I wanted to work on that. So, I don’t blame anyone for that reaction. I’m not here to condemn the audience. I’m here to show them what these women go through.  The way they look at you, like a scared animal that has been beaten up – with suspicion. That’s why I will not glamorise the world of prostitution with a happily-ever-after or false beliefs that it’s their choice. The reality is that they are drug addicts, possibly homeless, being used four or five times a night. Try and live in their shoes for a month and tell me how you’d deal with it,” she says.

Forced to have sex soon after birth

It didn’t take the women at Dar Hosea long to start sharing their stories with Angele. They told her how they were abused by people they trusted, including parents and relatives; how they believed they fell in love with a man who eventually pimped them out; how they were forced to have sex soon after giving birth; how men paid more for sex when they were pregnant; how they always craved love and approval from their mother... how they didn’t feel they deserved help.

It showed her how they live in shame, always feeling judged and how a smile from a stranger can make all the difference.

“Just a smile. Don’t laugh or say anything. Just smile and their face will light up. It makes a big difference. You don’t know what they’ve been through. These women are victims. Let’s protect them as much as we can.”

Waħda Minna will be performed on Thursday and Friday at the Malta Midwives Association Centre in  Msida and on Saturday and Sunday at the City Theatre in Valletta.