When we hear of mothers who have a history of sex trafficking in the media, we often hear stories about the bad choices these young women made. We hear how they put their children in danger and how ashamed they should be, as these tough stories turn into hot topics used and abused by media persons.
We don’t always hear about how young mothers, and how their love for their children, are often exploited by abusers, who promise them a better life for their children if they do as he says, only to turn around and threaten them with child endangerment reports to the police. We don’t hear those conversations, between them and their trafficker, where the lives of their children are threatened if they try to seek help and get out of the life of sex trafficking. We don’t hear how survivor mothers became mothers when they were too young to support complete households on their own, and the only way they knew how to make enough money for them and their children to survive is through exploitation.
It is easy for the media to depict these women as monsters, when really, they are so vulnerable to the harm exploitation presents them with. They need help. Our team at Alabaster Jar Project implements the reunification of survivor mothers and their children in the following ways:
We provide case management where they are guided on how to become parents again and regain custody of their children.
We connect them with legal resources through a community partner, Free To Thrive, so they can get expert advice and advocacy from professional attorneys.
We offer resources to parenting classes, as many women at the Grace House Residential Program have completed.
We nurture the independence and well-rounded self-sufficiency of each survivor we support by preparing them for employment, providing financial health training, and a number of other important steps we put on their path through completing the Grace House Residential Program.
Think twice before you hear someone portray a survivor mother as someone who doesn’t care about her children. The majority of the women we serve are mothers and are working very hard to get back to a place where they can take care of their children. Several of the women we have served have gotten custody of their children back, and we are so blessed to have been a small part of that journey.
To support the reunification of survivor families, please visit our website.
By Amanda Moon Ellevis