06 Apr

A Good Friday Rescue

WARNING: THIS UPDATE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN—SHARE WITH DISCRETION.

Image of girl's eyes.
These eyes, filled with pain, anger and fear, have dark stories to tell

A Good Friday Rescue

A desperate young girl finds shelter from her abusers

Dear Family,

March 30—just last Friday—a dirty, rail-thin girl gobbled down a grilled cheese sandwich as if she hadn’t eaten in days. She asked for more. Her intense, penetrating eyes, full of fear and pain, darted uneasily around the room as she devoured her food. Once her ravenous appetite eased, she began to tell her incredibly sad story.

Raped daily by her pimps—a 16-year-old brother and cousin, 17—then rented out to 10-20 men for 200 pesos ($12 US) each, Monica (not her real name) was a cash cow for her destitute family. That’s the only life this 14-year-old girl from Mexico knew. And if she refused? Her grandmother beat her until she was covered with bruises, then tied her up and locked her in dark, solitary confinement—often without food—for several days.

What makes Monica’s story even more tragic is that it’s not that unusual in many parts of Mexico. Desperate poverty and deep, generational addictions to drugs, alcohol and depravity deceive many parents and grandparents—devoid of all moral conscience—into renting their own children out for sex in order to support their lives of debauchery. But one day Monica managed to escape, and after hiding out for several days in the streets of the city she was discovered and taken in by a Christian family who realized she was in trouble.

Knowing they couldn’t deal with Monica on their own, they delivered her late on Good Friday to the door of Nicole Fitzpatrick, a longtime trusted Human Trafficking & Slavery Ministry partner who’s been rescuing children from human trafficking for over ten years—often in some of the worst places on earth. After Monica finished eating, Nicole got her cleaned up and dressed in new clothes that were offered by the other girls at the safe house, who soon surrounded Monica with love and acceptance. Many of the girls had once gone through similar experiences, so they understood what she needed most.

It’s only been a few days since Monica arrived, but Nicole has already made some initial assessments. “Monica is a sweetie pie and gives us no problem…and is so grateful,” but mentally and emotionally she’s very traumatized. This became even more clear when Nicole had to take her to the doctor for a routine intake exam. When they got into the car, she began “shaking and vomiting” before it was even started. Nicole asked her what was wrong. Monica explained that vehicles bring “brothel and beating memories. Rape memories.” Nicole also told us, “She just turned 14, but mentally she is many years behind (she cannot yet read, for example). She hides behind big walls [in her heart] and pure fear. It is so heartbreaking.”

We’d like to help Monica begin the process of recovery from her horrific childhood experiences. Medical checks and treatments, if necessary (incoming children like her almost always need de-worming, basic immunizations, de-licing, nutritional supplements, etc.), clothing, uniforms and supplies for school, and legal procedures to make sure pimp-parents cannot snatch them back and return them to lives of exploitation. If you’d like to help with those costs, please click here. We don’t usually make requests like this in our updates, but we feel Monica’s needs are urgent.

Thank you for your compassion for all victims of human trafficking, and your help preventing the trafficking and slavery of thousands of other children in many other parts of the world.

May the Lord bless you richly so you can be a blessing,