Recently, two of the young women we serve in our Oklahoma City shelter for former victims of human sex trafficking have enrolled in classes to get their GED! Not only does this opportunity allow them to finish high school, but it also marks the pathway to dreaming again.
One of the strongest and darkest effects of victimization through human sex trafficking is the destruction of any hope for the future. People living in a human trafficking situation are brainwashed to believe that no other options for their lives will ever exist. A beautiful recovery begins when former victims turn from that false mentality. Knowing they would receive their diploma, these two girls began reflecting on possibilities for their future. Now, not only can they dream, they know their dreams can become a reality. This provides a powerful and tangible way of stirring up hope in these precious young women.
What do they want to be? A veterinarian, a beautician…so many options they never allowed themselves to even consider have begun brimming at the surface. They have started believing they can be someone different than who they have been before, different from what they left in their past.
The choice is finally up to them. They have taken the first step to pursuing the future of their dreams.