A young teenage girl is rescued from a life of human trafficking or abuse and brought to a safe place where she can stay until she turns 18. Initially, she feels more like she was captured than rescued, seeing her protectors as the enemy and the abusers as familiar. Over time, though, through countless challenges and no choice but to lean in, she begins to trust again and discover a healthier way of life. And just as she begins to feel safe and start healing, she turns 18 and is forced to leave the sanctuary she’s come to rely on.

Having focused on healing, she hasn’t had the chance to develop the skills necessary to live on her own. The trauma she endured has affected her brain development, and despite being 18, she has the maturity of a 12-year-old. To become truly independent, she faces a daunting uphill battle. With an incomplete education, the lingering psychological effects of trauma, limited life skills, and no understanding of basic things like budgeting, cooking, or maintaining her health—what can we realistically expect to happen?

For many of these girls

the only option they see is to return to the very people who once hurt them. It may be the most dangerous choice, but it’s also the most familiar and, in their eyes, the only one where they can survive.