Denisse Pichardo
2011 Humanitarian Winner
Dominican Republic

At a glance:

• Denisse rescues young children from sex tourism in Boca Chica
• She empowers the children and families this industry exploits
• To date, her organization have changed the lives of over 12,900 youth

In 1994, Denisse Pichardo was asked to study sexual tourism and children working in the streets in the municipality of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. Denisse was moved to action by what she saw: foreign tourists coming and going with local children, especially young girls, and extremely poor families driven to give or sell their children to these tourists. Her work on this project inspired her to establish Caminante Proyecto Educativo (Caminante Educational Project), an organization dedicated to empowering the most vulnerable youth in the emblematic sex tourism center of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, with impact in neighboring Haiti and beyond. To date, Denisse and her organization have changed the lives of over 12,900 youth affected by sex tourism. She has prevented the sexual exploitation of countless children, reducing the violence in the community, while also rescuing and healing youth affected by prostitution and other violence.