Jasmine was a 13-year-old girl when she joined our CAP program. She was severely neglected, and child sexual abuse of other family members was already happening in her home, putting her at risk of abuse and being trafficked.
It was a challenge to build rapport with Jasmine due to the understandable impact of trauma and chaos she has experienced in her young life. However, she has shown tremendous resilience as we have continued to work together.
She is developing her critical-thinking skills around healthy boundaries and relationships and is starting to understand how trauma can impact decision-making. Watching her self-worth and self-esteem grow — now understanding that she deserves to be safe — has been truly an honor and a blessing.
We have also been actively working with her current guardian to discuss concerns and work through difficulties, including identifying resources to assist in the process.
Jasmine’s guardian indicated that her other siblings living in the home are also demonstrating a high level of risk. Now we are working with the entire family to provide information and support to help the guardian keep these children safe.
* The image(s) used in this blog post are stock photo(s) and are used for illustrative purposes only. They do not depict real individuals associated with Crisis Aid International.
