I am a prostitute, and I am proud of it.

Police in Indianapolis face tragedy in a home full of kids in the middle of the 1960s. The girl has burns, bruises, and is malnourished. One hundred cigarettes had been lit on her body. This little girl was subjected to torture; it was an excruciating, agonising trip to death. It is unbelievable how those seven words were engraved in her skin. I am a prostitute and i am proud of it. I need to know what hell is going on here. A female steps up and says, "I will tell you everything, just get me out of here." Her tale will shock the country and expose a cold-blooded murderer. What kind of person could have done this to this girl. Earlier  that year Gertrude beniszewski is living on the edge. 

Parenthood and poverty have worn down the former beauty. At the age of 37, Gertrude had a large family living in her home. She received very little money, and at the time, not much in the way of child support. Her sole source of income was the little money she earned from ironing. All seven of her children had friends while living in her own home. Almost every day, at least that many, if not twice that many, would come and go from the house. Sylvia Lichens, sixteen, is one of the numerous guests. Sylvia and Jenny, her sister who contracted polio, are the offspring of funfair employees. They received a request to stay the night, and they did.

This will soon become Sylvia's home and prison. Lester, her father, offers a crucial proposal to Gertrude when they first meet. While they were out on the funfair circuit, Mrs. Baniszewski would board the girls for him. She worked out a weekly payment of $20. Although I am not sure if Gertrude Baniszewski ever made a sensible financial choice, this was undoubtedly not one. Despite having consented to the proposal, I am sure she despised the responsibility. Gertrude is the last person you would leave your children with, thus Lester has made a very big mistake. She occasionally gave off the feeling that she was not all there. She was coldly detached. Edward Strain, a psychologist, offers Gertrude Baniszewski a simple diagnostic test. 

When he asked her to create a self-portrait, she sketched a picture of herself with long fingers and pointed or clapping points at each, suggesting that Satan was harming people. He diagnosed the condition as hysterical personality disorder with excessively determined sadistic tendencies. Gertrude is under a lot of pressure because she is currently caring for nine children. The residence was unfit for even two persons, much less the large number of occupants. It was just so gloomy, like something straight out of Charles Dickens. When Lester does not show up, she snaps, punishing the girls for their father's failure, but Gertrude is not only upset because she wants the money. She enjoys punishing the girls.

The satisfaction of knowing that they are causing agony to someone else is more significant to a sadist than actually causing pain to their victim. The sadist gets turned on by that. Gertrude would now look for any reason to strike out at the helpless girl. Gertrude was constantly reminded of all that she had lost by Sylvia. Gertrude lacked everything that young Sylvia possessed. Sylvia had good looks and was tidy. She had never been married. I believe Gertrude was harsh, envious, and jealous. Gertrude has a sadistic grudge against Sylvia Lichens and will enlist help from innocent children. Her daily suffering is comparable to the suffering that Christ went through when he was crucified.

16-year-old Sylvia is a helpless victim in the hands of a cruel, wicked lady. Although Gertrude manipulates her own children ruthlessly, making them willing torturers, I believe she enjoys it. When there are multiple children living in a household, it is common for the abuser to target one child, specifically for physical abuse while enlisting the help of the other children to carry out the abuse and act it out for her. In this instance, the mother sends a message by approving this brutality committed by an adult who served as an authority figure to these children. "If I can do this to her, then I can do this to you," Gertrude said to her own kids. There is still worse to come.

Gertrude's sadism escalates to new heights as she uses a sewing needle to extract blood, when Sylvia is suspected of spreading rumours. She began the lettering that was etched into Sylvia's stomach. Gertrude was probably preparing to kill Sylvia when she carved the words "I am a prostitute and proud of it" on her tummy. Sylvia is so alone in her pain that her only concern is keeping her sister safe. She was psychologically imprisoned, and I believe that she endured a great deal of torture and beatings because she believed that if  do it to me, they will not do it to my sister. She will be safe. Sylvia is becoming weaker from the beatings and her body is deteriorating.

In a desperate attempt to hide her misdeeds from Mr. and Mrs. Likens, Gertrude devises a scheme. Gertrude began to make notes for Sylvia. She wrote that Syliva went off with a gang.  Sylvia went out with a group of boys, they beat me her up, and then brought her back here. At midnight, after three months of ruthless cruelty from Gertrude, Sylvia is unable to fight back. At some point, Sylvia had turned into a victim of a concentration camp and had lost all motivation to survive. Sylvia's mental state was impacted by her dire physical health. Our immune system and our desire to survive are closely related.

If someone is infected or has a lot of sores, it usually means they are not obtaining enough nutrients, vitamins, water, etc. to provide their body the resources it needs to repair itself. Depression will result from this, and when depression sets in, motivation to live just evaporates. It is likely that Sylvia believed there was no way out and that no one, not even her own sister, could save her. Gathering her children and the kids from the neighbourhood, Gertrude gave them instructions on what to say when the police arrived. Jenny Likens will not comply this time. Tell me what happened her here, the police asked. Please get me out of here and I will tell you everything, Jenny responded.

Though unable to save her sister, she can assist in apprehending her murderer. After being convicted guilty of first-degree murder, Gertrude Baniszewski was given a life sentence. I believe Gertrude mistreated Sylvia as a way to let out her own resentment and rage. It was comforting to her to belittle Sylvia in her mind. She did something that I have never seen a human do and

enjoy it too.