AS Western Australians settle down into the New Year after the Christmas festive season, Linda Watson, founder of Linda’s House of Hope, has appealed for support for her unique but very tough work helping women and girls exit prostitution.
Established in 1999, Linda’s House of Hope has been operating in Perth for a decade after winning support from Archbishop Barry Hickey and continues to assist women and girls exit lives dominated by exploitation, sexual, emotional, physical problems and drug abuse – among other issues.
However the hard grind which, for many women and girls, will often include numerous relapses into the only form of earning a living they know, needs constant support from the community.
Ms Watson also told The Record she has been invited by three Christian churches in Capetown, South Africa to speak on her work and experiences over decades in Perth’s prostitution business.
She also intends to use the trip to assess the problem of prostitution, including the prostitution of children in South Africa.
Child prostitution, often forced, has been described by child advocates as rampant in cities such as Capetown and Durban. Ms Watson said she would be taking as many simple gifts for children as she could manage when she is in South Africa between late January and February.
Anyone wanting to support Linda’s House of Hope can send tax deductible donations to:
Linda’s House of Hope
PO Box Z5640
St George’s Tce
Perth 6831
Ms Watson can be contacted on 0439 401 009 or 9358 1719.