Sisters Exploited

A court worker called us about a 16 y/o and 13 y/o who had been told by their parents it was their responsibility to support the family through financial issues. The parents pressured the girls about important debts that needed to be paid, and through tears, explained they were at risk of losing the house.

The girls were afraid for their family, so they agreed to help. Next, the parents brought strangers into the home who paid the parents cash in exchange for sex with their daughters. The truth is, this money didn’t go to debts at all- it funded their parent’s drug addictions.

Two hours away, we were brought into a similar situation. Our team drove into the rural mountains of Southern KY to meet a 12 y/o, 13 y/o, and 18 y/o. 

The eldest sister in this situation was dating a pedofile. Devoted to him, she didn’t object to his idea to meet her younger sisters- and their friends.

As a group of girls arrived to what they thought was a typical pool party, the eldest sister stayed glued to the living room couch, strung out on drugs, while she knowingly allowed her boyfriend to drug and “use” every single girl who entered their home that night.

When traumas occur on this level, by no means do I think that what we do completes the whole picture of what these victims need. We are only one piece. But what touches my heart and makes me dig my heels into this mission, is hearing that the girls left got through the forensic interviews with one thought on their mind, “We get to see our mentors after this!” With excitement, they whispered about where’d they go out to eat and how excited they were to see their mentors.

When our mentors step into the saddest and darkest places with these youth, they become a shining force of hope for children who want to heal.