11/20/2025
Content Warning: This post includes discussion of sexual assault, human trafficking, and trauma, which may be triggering for some readers. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you are not alone, and support is available. Please consider reviewing the resource list at the end of our blog post or reaching out to a trained professional if needed.
According to RAINN, every 74 seconds, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Every 9 minutes, that someone is a child.
Sexual assault and human trafficking are not distant issues. They are happening in our communities every day. While the physical harm is devastating, the mental health impact and trauma that follow can alter the course of a person’s life. Survivors often struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, isolation, and challenges with employment, relationships, and daily functioning.
The fact that it has taken an act of Congress to address practices that should be standard speaks volumes about the scale of this problem and our nation’s response to it. Too many individuals are suffering in silence because this crisis has not been treated with the urgency it deserves.
There are resources available for survivors, but our ability to respond effectively is increasingly hindered. Law enforcement agencies remain under-resourced. Federal departments, such as the DOJ, have seen diminished capacity to pursue U.S. citizens involved in trafficking. Vital services that provide trauma response and mental health care are being defunded or underfunded.
When protections depend on political will rather than moral responsibility, our community is put at risk, and survivors are left waiting.
Keep reading at https://www.mhconn.org/2025/11/19/sexual-assault-human-trafficking-a-crisis-we-cannot-ignore/
