Child Trafficking Survivors Thrive with Holistic Care

When a child like Snowy comes into our care, we know they need a cocoon of complete safety and healing. Restoration is possible! I want to give you an inside look on our world-class model to unlock transformation.

Usually, child survivors come to us when one of our anti-trafficking partners calls us in. Our international coalition of freedom fighters includes government agencies, churches, law enforcement, health professionals, and more. They know we specialize in caring for survivors. Offering special support for children is still pretty rare. A member of our team personally comes to retrieve the child. Often, we will bring a gift that includes items like dolls, clothes, or snacks. We want to these little ones to know we are safe.

Then, we match the child with a hand-selected family ready to take her in. At the same time, we spend a significant amount of time getting to know the child so we can craft the perfect healing journey. Over the next few years, we make sure she is getting the education, healthcare, and fun she deserves. We welcome the child and her family to our Sanctuary for trauma therapy, art therapy, equine therapy, and a wide variety of other support.

Like you, we want to see these dear children grow up with the love and resources they deserve. There's no greater joy than seeing a child survivor like "Daniela" light up and become a kid again. Stories like Daniela are why we're in this fight together. As you read her story, I want you to know that your support and encouragement is what makes these moments possible. We hold the keys to freedom!

Freedom Fighter Makes Dolls for Survivors

Hi Friends,

Even the smallest acts of kindness can mean the world to a survivor of sex trafficking. You may remember that when we first rescued Snowy, who was just 12 years old at the time, we gave her a doll. What we didn’t know is that it was the first doll she had ever owned. “I never dreamed of having a doll,” she told us.

A Freedom Fighter like you took these words to heart. “Igrett” is a skilled seamstress and businesswoman in Eastern Europe. For years, she has owned a small business where she makes and sells dolls and clothes. Growing up, she always knew about Human Trafficking. “We’re a small country that struggles a lot with this,” she says. “Everyone knows at least a little bit about the problem or knows about someone who has been affected by it.”

She heard about Uncaged through a chance meeting. One day, she took her car to an auto service station and our Europe Director happened to be there, too. They struck up a conversation, and he shared about our work in Romania and beyond. Igrett immediately wanted to get involved, but she wasn’t sure how. That’s when our Europe Director suggested she make dolls for survivors. Igrett ran with the idea.

“It makes me feel so good,” she says. “I want to help the ladies and the children. I even try to customize the dolls so that their faces and hair matches the survivors. I make clothes for the dolls like dresses and doctors outfits to help the survivors dream about their own lives.”

Igrett has already made dozens of dolls as a sign of welcome and hope for survivors. When the Covid-19 travel bans lift, she wants to do even more. “When I can, I want to volunteer at the Sanctuary and teach the survivors how to make the dolls, too,” she says. She knows firsthand that making dolls can sustain a family and bring hope to others.

Every day, we hear of more abolitionists like Igrett rising up and lending their talents to this fight against human trafficking. It can look like making dolls to welcome child survivors. It can look like teaching survivors to make cards. It can look like praying for survivors and encouraging our work here. Igrett is the perfect reminder that each of us has a part to play in unlocking transformation for survivors. We are so grateful for her, just as we are grateful for you.

We hold the keys to freedom!

How Child Sex Trafficking Happens: Snowy's Story

Ending the evil of child sex trafficking means learning how it operates. The UN recently estimated that 47% of trafficking survivors in Central Europe are children. Trafficking a child is unfathomable to most of us, it can be hard to understand how it happens. Snowy is one of dozens of child survivors we have worked with. Her story shows us some of the factors that lead to a child being trafficked: addiction, poverty, abuse, and more. Sadly, her family had a role in trafficking her. Up to 35% of children trafficked for sexual exploitation have a parent orchestrating the abuse.

Knowing what makes children like Snowy vulnerable also tells us how to protect them. It's why at Uncaged, we take a holistic approach to prevention and healing. Right now, we are collaborating with an international coalition on a strategy to end child trafficking. We are creating policies to recognize vulnerable children. We are investing in education so parents know how to protect their children from traffickers. We are working to make sure families have better options than selling their children. And yes, we are bringing children to safety when they need somewhere to go. Your support makes all of this work possible.

Snowy's story is ultimately one of HOPE because of people like you. It takes an army of abolitionists to find these children, protect them, give them the care they need. People like you stepped in to bring healing to Snowy. People like you are making sure children like Snowy never experience the horrors of trafficking. Let's equip ourselves for this fight. Watch Snowy's story knowing that we hold the keys to freedom! We can be the generation that ends this evil.