These are children, they are 12 and 13 years old. They live in Pastelleira and Pinheiro Torres, in Porto, they know the language of drugs by heart. They dreamed of being in a different place, growing up like other children. “I would like to live in a normal area,” Joao, his assumed name, says from his 12-year-old height.
This boy lives in Pastelleira Nova. In the heart of the drug, in the center of the hurricane. “I see people injecting themselves, I see the police come and break everything. I had searches in my house.” To the question “what are you most afraid of?” he quickly replies, “Shots. When I see a weapon.”
This is how the drug business area works, so you learn the language of the drug trade very early. “I know some people stay to see if the police come. They scream when they see them, and the rest run away,” he explains to us.
The other girl continues to report. He also lives nearby, sometimes passing by Pastelleira to get to the ATL. “I had an uncle who died because of this. Of course I’m afraid. I’m afraid one day I’ll want to try it.”
This teenager also tells us about what she has already experienced. From the profanity you hear on the street, from fights between consumers just for a space battle. “We don’t care anymore, we run away. Mom tells me to get out. Get out of there quickly.”
At the Paróquia da Nossa Senhora da Ajuda Social Center, children are accompanied. “Many people come by bus from nearby schools because their parents don’t want them to walk down the street alone. We have children who, from a very young age, live with things they shouldn’t even know about,” lamented Sara Cerqueira, CTO of the institution.
This Thursday in Rivoli from 11:30 to 13:00 the drug phenomenon will be discussed. The conference, organized by CM/CMTV and Câmara do Porto, is free to attend and aims to find solutions to what is happening in Lordelo do Ouro and Foz do Porto. Rui Moreira, the mayor of Porto, and those in charge of the police will be present. Judge Pedro Miguel Vieira from TIC do Porto will also be present. “We are hostages of drug trafficking. We can’t go out, we don’t have freedom at home,” he says cm resident of Bairro Mareschal Gomes da Costa.
Author: Tanya Orange
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.