Ruth Atkins · Becky Rasmussen · Mary Jackson
A Parent's Guide
Written by a grandmother who had to learn all of it the hard way.
Ruth Atkins is the grandmother of a young woman who was trafficked. In the book she is simply "Gma." She wrote this so that the next family would not have to start from nothing.
What it is
A resource for parents, and for anyone who is around young people.
Rescue is not the end of it. Removal from the situation is the beginning. The book is about what comes after, which is the part almost nobody prepares a family for.
Along with knowing the dangers and the warning signs associated with becoming a trafficking target, the psychology of victims has to be understood in order to help them break free physically and to help their minds heal. Rescue requires much more than removal from the conditions of slavery.
That understanding is carried through short stories and messages from many trafficking survivors, all of them appearing under a single anonymous name: One Survivor.
Who wrote it
Three people, and a granddaughter who lived it.
"Gma." That is how Ruth is named throughout the book, because that is who she was to the young woman she was trying to bring home.
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Ruth Atkins
The originator and primary author. She uses the experience and the wisdom gained from helping her granddaughter through her journey, alongside extensive research, to teach readers the things that actually make a difference.
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Becky Rasmussen
President and Chief Executive Officer of Call to Freedom, who founded the organization after an encounter at the Sturgis rally in 2015.
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Mary Jackson
A survivor who chose to tell her own story publicly so that other families would know that trafficking does not know borders, and that they are not alone.
Who it is for
If a young person trusts you, this book is for you.
Not only for families in crisis. Most of the people who read it are trying to make sure they never need it.
- Parents and guardiansBoth those worried about what they are seeing, and those who want to understand the risk before anything happens.
- Grandparents and extended familyOften the ones who notice first, and often the ones a young person will still talk to.
- Teachers, coaches and youth workersAnyone who sees the same young person often enough to know when something has changed.
- Faith communitiesYouth leaders, small group leaders, and anyone a family might approach before they approach an agency.
- Families already in itWritten by someone who was in exactly that position and had to work it out without a guide.
Beyond the book
Parent Connections.
Call to Freedom runs a training series for parents, guardians, family members and support systems throughout the year. The book is the reference; Parent Connections is the room where you can ask a question out loud.
If it is already happening
You do not have to read a book first.
If you are worried about a young person right now, call 605-759-3565. Our youth team coordinates services for people from birth through 24, and we have support specifically for parents, guardians and family members.
You do not need to be certain, and you do not need to have a report. Call anyway.
Most people read this before they need it.
That is the point. Knowing the signs, and knowing what healing actually requires, is what stands between a young person and the thing nobody sees coming.