Rescue is only the beginning.

Sexual exploitation is more than a physical crime. The injuries inflicted on the hearts and minds of abuse victims are some of the most devastating imaginable. Without addressing these injuries, victims, particularly children, can face debilitating emotional distress and mental anguish for years after the physical abuse has ended.

That’s why Destiny Rescue (an organisation who rescue work in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines Child Rescue helps fund) uses the EMPOWER trauma resilience program for every survivor enrolled in a Freedom Plan™.

EMPOWER is a trauma resilience training program developed by world-renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Robi Sonderegger. Through both individual and group sessions, storytelling and even games, this comprehensive system helps survivors process what they’ve been through and begin to heal.

Today, we’d like to share a few quotes from survivors about how they’ve been helped by EMPOWER.

Declan, a lead Destiny Rescue EMPOWER facilitator in Uganda, is convinced of EMPOWER’s effectiveness. Time and again, he’s seen brokenhearted, betrayed, suffering children learn to live again.

One of the most evident symptoms of extreme trauma is a crippling loss of self-worth. After being treated like a product or a toy for so long, these shattered children often start to believe the lies of their traffickers.

EMPOWER is helping to change that. Survivors discover that they are so much more than a commodity; in the eyes of God, they are priceless members of His family.

Healing from trauma is tough. 

The mental anguish can resurface again and again, causing distressing flashbacks that interrupt normal activities. Post-traumatic stress disorder is common among trafficking victims, the results of which can lead to physical as well as psychological distress. 

But to heal, survivors must learn to face that pain. EMPOWER gently teaches children the twin pitfalls of focusing on their trauma and ignoring it, both of which can lead to long-term negative effects. Instead, children are taught to navigate through the pain, facing it in a way that allows them to move past it into something better.

As children learn their worth, heal from trauma and manoeuvre through a complex emotional landscape, something incredible happens: they start to change.

Another tragic effect of trauma is losing the ability to hope. 

Many kids have seen their dreams utterly crushed. Day after day, they were bombarded by a constant barrage of disappointment, degradation and pain. Victims became accustomed to living without anything to look forward to.

EMPOWER helps change that.

As kids recover and gain confidence, they learn to look past simply surviving to the next day or even the next meal. Gradually, they begin to foster dreams for the future.

But what’s most encouraging is seeing how these dear kids, who have suffered so much, aspire to help others who’ve suffered exploitation.

Before rescue, these children suffered in silence, their voices muted by their abusers. Now, they are free and rediscovering who they always were inside. Thanks to their loving mentors and the incredible EMPOWER trauma resilience training program, they’ve regained their voices and have a chance to make them heard. 

Childhood. Dignity. The chance to dream. Rescue made all of this possible. Hundreds of thousands more voiceless children are out there, suffering daily. Will you be a part of their rescue stories? Click below to rescue a child today.