Rescuing Rosa

Your support helps rescue women like Rosa from the sex trade, giving them safety, and starting a new life.

Rosa, a 32-year-old single mother, was jobless, homeless, and often slept on the streets. Her only source of income — her only hope of ever sleeping indoors — came through an abusive boyfriend who would exploit Rosa’s body: She was being peddled for sex.

A police officer found Rosa (not her real name) and listened to her story. The officer knew exactly what to do: take Rosa to a Salvation Army safe house for victims of sex trafficking.

Rosa says it was the first step on her road to hope and healing.

“This place has been a real blessing,” she says. “I’m not sure what I would have done without it.”

Julie Shematz, a Salvation Army social worker, knows exactly what Rosa means. She used to earn a living as an exotic dancer, exploited by men who cared nothing about her heart or soul. But today, working in one of those safe houses, she helps men, women, and children find a way out of being trafficked.

“Mine is a story of grace and redemption,” Julie says. “I’ve gone from being a victim of exploitation to helping others rebuild their lives.”

Because of you, women like Rosa and Julie are discovering unconditional love.

 

 

 

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