Healing in Progress

This image is indicative

Wearing matching pink uniform shirts and matching ponytails with ribbons, they look like a typical bunch of high school girls. They giggle, they whisper, they talk about pizza and fried chicken. One can quickly pick out the jokester, the leader, the quiet one, and a pair of sisters. They generally follow the rules, but occasionally get into mischief, most recently from making their own cards out of soap boxes and using them to gamble. 

But these five girls didn’t meet in high school. They met while working at a karaoke bar where they were all trafficked as sex workers. Now safe in a shelter, they have been waiting just over a year while court proceedings ensure justice. Confident in the case against their offender, they eagerly share any information that will prevent others from falling into the same snares. 

Parents come to visit, and the end of court proceedings draws near. The girls anticipate going home soon, with plans to give merit at the temple, ask forgiveness from their parents, and take their parents out to eat. One girl adds, “I just want to cuddle with my mom.”

The girls count the days between visits from LIFT Aftercare. The five teenagers lean in attentively as the social worker talks to them about their futures. She asks the girls what they want to be, and they readily answer: a nurse, a tour guide, a helicopter engineer, open a bakery, and own a coffee shop. The social worker also prompts them to think about details beyond the big, general ideas. She asks, “when there is a 3 month gap between school terms, it’s easy to get distracted from your goal or persuaded to go in another direction. What will you do in that time to keep yourself focused and busy?” The girls don’t have such ready answers but consider her questions thoughtfully.

Despite so much progress and healing, the teenage girls still have a long way to go as they re-integrate back into their hometowns and families, finish high school, and move forward as adults. They have hopes and dreams for a future no different than your average teenager. LIFT Aftercare has played a crucial role in their healing process, and will continue to ensure a smooth transition.