Her name is Annabelle. The 5-year-old daughter of a single mother, left vulnerable and alone, while her mother worked long hours. Annabelle was lured to a neighbor’s house where he forced her to perform hundreds of sex acts so he could make money off of her exploitation. If she ever refused, Annabelle was beaten and locked in a dark closet for hours with no food and no water. Neighbors, suspicious of little Annabelle coming in and out of the house with so many strange men, called our Unlikely Heroes team to respond.

Our teams contacted the authorities, filled out the child abuse reports, and helped local police gather the information needed to arrest her trafficker. He is behind bars and thankfully little Annabelle is now safe. Finally free, police brought Annabelle to our home THIS WEEK and she is now getting the emergency medical attention and trauma counseling she needs.

The details of her exploitation are still coming in, and she has a long way to go in her recovery, but thanks to caring neighbors and the perseverance of our team on the ground, she will now be able to have the childhood that she so deserves. Today, we celebrate Annabelle’s freedom!