Dean Brody on the difficulties of trying to end human trafficking and child prostitution in Brazil
Before Dean Brody became an award winning Canadian country artist, he made a promise to himself that he would do something good with his fame if he ever became successful.
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That promise led him to create The Dean Brody Foundation and focusing his efforts on saving young girls trapped as child prostitutes in Brazil. However, the difficulty of attacking a problem so large was something that the 36-year-old never anticipated.
"I read a book called 'Remember Me, Rescue Me' by a British journalist named Matt Roper who spent seven years in Brazil," Brody told Yahoo! Canada Music. "But, when I read Matt's book, I didn't know how much the families were involved in what's going on. I pictured orphans and that we could just open an orphanage and that it would be that straightforward. However, some parents have opened brothels in their homes and you can't just take [the girls] away from their parents. It's a very complex situation in Brazil."
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Learning that many of these young girls' parents and older relatives were involved in arranging encounters with older men was a tough realization that Brody did not expect. In fact, it made getting them out of their current situation that much harder because Brazil doesn't have the same social networks that we do in Canada.
Brody, who was born in Smithers, B.C. and lives in Nova Scotia, released his self-titled debut album in 2009 and won the Album of the Year for "Trail in Life" at the 2011 Canadian Country Music Association Awards.
Brody plans on returning to Brazil this June, schedule permitting, to visit the foundation's safe house in the Pedreira favela (or slum) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
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Every time he goes back, he tries not got get too overwhelmed and looks forward to seeing the girls and how far they've come. "I love Brazil and the people and their culture," Brody said.
"[However,] I feel like a little ant looking at Mount Everest when it comes to the problem," the country star said referring to the foundation's efforts. "It seems really insignificant, what we're doing, but when you meet the girls one-on-one, that's when you go, 'This is why I'm going to come back, this is why it needs to keep going.'"
One of the ways Brody's foundation is trying to rehabilitate these troubled girls is through the use of music and dance.
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"Dance is very Brazilian," Brody said. "They love dance and it is a part of their culture. If you were trying to reach at-risk kids in Canada, you might use hockey, so dance is one of the big ways that the girls can elevate their self-esteem and makes them feel beautiful and helps them nurture a self-worth again." He adds, "We also teach them life skills and help them get a birth certificate so that they have a visible identity and help them integrate into society."
Check out a video from Brody's last trip to the foundation's safe house where he danced and sang with the girls and you can now pick up his new album "Dirt," which was released today.
Dean Brody Foundation: Dean With The Girls
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