For survivors of sex trafficking, the healing journey can often feel daunting, terrifying, or even impossible. Coming out of immense trauma, survivors have to shift from constantly living under the threat––and reality––of exploitation to building a life they once thought they would never experience.
One More Child helps trafficking survivors begin this new life through holistic, trauma-informed care that focuses on each individual’s experiences, goals, and needs. Our Anti-Trafficking Mobile Teams meet survivors where they are and assess what kind of support they need. As survivors make progress and achieve milestones, our teams ensure this care adapts accordingly for each survivor.
Recently, our Mobile Team came up with an innovative and adorable way to reach a survivor.
Maverick Makes a Difference
In 2025, there were more than 1.4 million reports of online enticement of children for sexual acts, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Bianca* was one of these children.
When 16-year old Bianca’s* online exploitation was discovered by the FBI, the agency referred her to One More Child to ensure she was evaluated and connected to recovery services. Her trauma led her to be understandably hesitant to meet with our team. Bianca’s ability to trust had been corrupted by those who exploited her.
But our team didn’t give up. Instead, they came up with a creative way to reach Bianca and earn her trust. Anti-Trafficking Advocate Sydney Smith proposed setting up a time for Bianca to meet with a therapy dog. When applicable, One More Child provides trafficking survivors access to therapy dogs through our staff, and our team believed a therapy dog could bring significant healing for Bianca.
Sydney set up a meeting for Bianca and her mother to meet Maverick, Sydney’s dog who is trained to provide therapy services. The impact was immediate. As Bianca pet Maverick throughout the session, her visible signs of anxiety decreased, and Maverick’s soothing presence created a safe, non-threatening environment. In this space, Bianca felt safe to let her guard down, and she finally opened up to our team.
Following this meeting with Maverick, Bianca accepted services from One More Child, including critical therapy that will help her heal.
Bianca still has a long road ahead of her as she seeks to healthily process her trauma, but thanks to Maverick, she opened herself up to help and learned to trust again. Now she is on a structured path toward healing, with specialized care from One More Child’s Mobile Team.
*Name changed for privacy.
Join the Fight
One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking teams lead with expertise, creativity, and devotion to care for the most vulnerable among us. Their innovative thinking and commitment to providing individualized services goes a long way for survivors, like Bianca, to feel seen, loved, and supported.
You can help survivors like Bianca today through your generosity and advocacy today!
Will you help us share hope and healing with survivors and prevent one more from being coerced into exploitation?