Autumn, Lilly, John, and Jacob – U.S. Safe Story
*Names changed to protect identity.
Autumn, Lilly, John, and Jacob were all siblings in elementary school when they first entered our US Safe Program.
One day while at a friend’s house, the friends’ parents noticed that Autumn was having some itching and discomfort in her private area. The parents, listening to their gut, took action and got the authorities involved. After some testing by a medical forensic unit for children, all four children unfortunately had tested positive for sexually transmitted infections.
As the criminal investigation unfolded, a devastating nightmare came to light. In her desperate struggle to feed her drug addiction, their own mother had been trafficking her young children to drug dealers, allowing them to be continuously sexually abused.
The children were immediately placed into foster care and referred into Crisis Aid’s Children’s Anti-Exploitation Partnership (CAP) program.
Although the advocates worked as a team to support the children, each child was assigned their very own Crisis Aid CAP Advocate to ensure that each child received the individualized holistic care they deserved.
As the months went on, each child met with their advocates and each had their own trials and accomplishments. Unfortunately, even though the children didn’t want to see her, the children’s mother was still allowed to regularly have contact with them. This hindered their healing process due to the trauma of being forced to see their abuser, in some instances even unsupervised.
Through the next two years, the children bounced around to different foster homes, even being separated from each other for months at a time, before all landing in a wonderful foster family together.
Through these years, the children’s CAP advocates worked as a team on behalf of the children to fight for their case to be moved up in the legal system so it would be processed faster. Eventually the children’s mother was convicted, immediately stopping all visitation between her and the kids. This allowed the children to finally, officially begin their healing process.
While working with their advocates, each child presented their trauma differently and had different speeds of processing what they went through. The younger children were withdrawn and uncomfortable in social interactions. Lilly, in particular, struggled with severe depression, often waking at night screaming with night terrors. Throughout this period, their CAP advocates were a patient and consistent support in the children’s chaotic world.
Working with guidance from their mental healthcare providers, the advocates helped the children develop healthy coping strategies. Their foster parents said the children “looked forward to seeing their advocates every week and would always know that the CAP advocate office at the police department was their “safe space.” This eventually began to take hold and, with time, John and Jacob began to engage with their CAP advocates and come out of their shell. Lilly began to find ways to use poetry to express her feelings and continue her healing process through journaling.
Although the oldest child, Autumn, may have appeared “fine,” it was clear that she was trying to be brave for her younger siblings. Initially, she shared that she felt guilty for leaving her mom but was relieved to be away from the dangerous situation. Through conversations with her CAP advocate, Autumn came to understand that what happened to her and her siblings was wrong — something that should never happen to anyone. Autumn also gained insight into setting healthy boundaries and realized she could always confide in a trusted adult if something was wrong.
Watching Autumn’s confidence grow over time, and how she even started to smile and show her quirky sense of humor, was beautiful. Learning of Autumn’s love of art, her advocate connected her with art therapy, so she could express her feelings through drawing and painting. She also enjoyed kicking the soccer ball around with her advocate on bright, sunny days while practicing breathing exercises and other healthy coping skills.
Although it’s taken time for these amazing kids to heal — and there is still plenty of healing to be done — the children are in a much better place now, both physically and emotionally. Today, all four siblings have been adopted by an incredible family who loves them very much.
Though the process and the journey is always different, outcomes like this are Crisis Aid’s goal for any child who enters our U.S. Safe Program. Our vision is for victims of exploitation and human trafficking to come to us and leave feeling safe, loved and filled with Jesus’s warmth. Our Mission is to equip people — whether they’re caregivers, community leaders or social workers — with the tools and knowledge necessary to safeguard children and support them through a holistic recovery.
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