Everyday, 2 to 3 girls and young women get recovered out of human trafficking…in Phoenix alone.
January 2022 Phoenix, AZ Rescue operations happen because of work that the police are doing, tips to the national hotline (888-3737-888), and because of people who care and stay alert about the issue. The good news is that they are getting recovered…EVERY DAY!
But no one talks about what happens next. Do they go home? Do they go to a hospital? Do they pick right back up where they left off in 8th grade…? Frankly, we don’t talk about it much because it’s not a pretty story. Some of the stories of what these girls go through AFTER being trafficked are almost as painful as talking about the abuse.
In the picture-perfect Hollywood story, the girl gets rescued, then goes home to a warm, welcoming family; instantly healed of the trauma and abuse and they live happily ever after. That story sells tickets and makes us feel better about a horrible truth in our world. But the truth is often gut-wrenching, ugly, painful, messy, and hard to look at. The truth is, girls and young women who’ve been trafficked usually need months and sometimes YEARS of intensive help before they ever get “better”.
Over the past 15 years working with these girls and young women, we’ve seen a lot… We’ve seen a girl come in with a bullet fragment still in her head from her trafficker trying to kill her as she was escaping. We’ve seen a girl come in with a broken femur because the trafficker dragged her from a car as she tried to escape Girls regularly come in with broken noses, broken teeth, black eyes and bruised faces We see sexually transmitted infections that take months or years to heal from We see minds that have been warped to think that every man is only out to abuse them or manipulate them into doing something Many girls come in with their trafficker’s names tattooed and sometimes burned into their skin like a farmer brands livestock Many of the girls have hearts that have lost the will to live and to love and to trust people Often we see girls that have spirits that have been broken like an animal through the mental and sometimes physical cages that the traffickers lock them in So, no, they don’t just go home and start back in 8th grade where they left off…
Every day, we see the “rest of the story” and the HUGE need these girls have. And what is their greatest need? The greatest need these girls have is for people to come alongside them and help them as they heal.
Some people teach classes or mentor the girls. But not everyone has the time to truly commit to sticking with these girls while they heal. It’s a process…for sure. Many people have decided to try sponsoring a girl as she heals. It’s something that most people can do and it truly does help these girls and young women get the thing they need most – HEALING.
Janurary is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. So, why not try sponsoring a girl after she has been recovered out of human trafficking? Effective sponsorships start at as little as $10 per month. Any amount is appreciated and every amount goes 100% directly to help the girls heal. All of our overhead costs are covered by a private foundation grant. Try a monthly sponsorship to help girls heal today!
Important Note – All stories and details you will receive are approved first by the girl who has been trafficked. Due to most of the girls having open FBI, Homeland Security, or police investigation against their traffickers, no one’s personal identity can ever be compromised including real names, pictures, or details about their police case. But the situations of the girl you will be sponsoring and any details about her case that do not compromise her identity will be shared with you in your update package. Optionally, you can also sign up for mentor training to mentor a girl after she has completed the healing program. You would then meet her as you joined her mentor team. Mentoring is not required for monthly sponsorships.
LJR ..although I do not promote any one agency. I have a heart for these children and women and like to pass on information. LJR knows how spiritual bondage latches on those in trauma; distorting their minds, emotions, and soul. Here at LJR we send a prayer to cover them all and to give them spiritual health to connect with their Creator and others, spiritual healing, and spiritual freedom.
