Sarah was a 13-year-old girl who had experienced extreme amounts of abuse and neglect from the adults in her life. She was born to a mother who struggled with drug abuse. Sarah’s mother began dating a man when she was about 11-years-old, and he moved into their home soon after they had started dating. This man began acting inappropriately toward Sarah and later sexually abused her.
Because of this sexual abuse, Sarah acted out in school. She had one close friend at school, and she frequently stayed the night at her house. One day, her friend asked why she wanted to sleep over so much. Sarah said that she hated going home. She then disclosed about the abuse that occurred at home. After this, Sarah’s friend’s mom got involved and called the police, and an investigation began to unfold.
Sarah came to Voices Carry for an interview. As the trial against her mom and mom’s boyfriend began to unfold, Sarah had to come in for a second interview to gather more information. During her second interview, Sarah had clearly built up the confidence to disclose about the abuse at home. As she walked out of her interview, she said to our forensic interviewer, “I just went from a victim to a survivor today.” Sarah’s disclosure ensured that both her mother and her mother’s boyfriend were found guilty of their crimes, and she was able to begin moving forward. Sarah is now in therapy and able to begin living a life free of abuse and neglect.
