Madeira, jewel in the sun and home of the package holiday. But there's a side that some tourists never discover. The holiday haven is fast becoming a sanctuary for paedophiles and the authorities appear to be turning a blind eye. To be honest I have no knowledge of any cases where children are working as prostitutes. But with poverty on the one hand and the demands of tourism on the other, the situation is escalating out of control. Exotic and accessible, in the bars of Amsterdam the seedy business of child porn has singled out Madeira as the place to come.
This film looks at what lies behind the myth of Madeira. Despite its reputation as a fun resort, Portuguese Madeira is one of the few places in western Europe where children still beg on the streets. The average 12 year old here is more likely to spend their early years hustling for money or prostituting themselves than learning to read or write.
Away from the bright lights communities like Camara dos Lobos are poverty ridden shanty towns. Here the combination of destitution, desperation and large families produces an endless stream of street children vulnerable to exploitation. They live in conditions so cramped that it's not unusual for a family of 12 to share one room. Fatima like many children from the district spends her days begging. She lives with her parents and four brothers in this tiny bedsit, a favour from the landlord despite his neglect of the property.
They're hoping for a council place but the chances are slim. Fatima: in a bucket which we empty in to the rubbish cart. We don't have a bathroom - what are we supposed to do?
We have to throw it in the rubbish cart. They've been out on the streets all day and it's now 11pm. Tonight their earnings are just enough to afford the bus home. Both boys are not alone in roaming the streets for money. Although Fabio is not yet prostituting himself his night time excursions are encouraged by his parents. My mother will tell me to wash my feet, have a bite to eat, just a little bit. Afterwards she'll send me to bed and tomorrow morning I'll come over here to Funchal and earn Escudos.
