Tara was being exploited by a family member. She wasn't just afraid, but as the abuse continued, she began blaming herself that somehow it was her fault.

Many times, when the abuser is a family member or legal guardian, the exploitation can go on for a long time without anyone knowing better. Exploitation at the hands of family, at the hands of someone who should love and protect but instead hurts and destroys, can affect a child in the most detrimental ways–not just physically.

Tara became depressed, not knowing why something like this would happen to her and why it was her family that would hurt her. It felt wrong, and it made Tara's skin crawl. She felt dirty, she felt ashamed, and she felt trapped. But she didn't know what to do or who she could turn to. In her distress, she believed the crimes against her affected her worth.

The psychological effects of her exploitation brought Tara to a dark place. One day at school, not knowing what else to do and so overcome by hopelessness, Tara tried to take her own life. A teacher found her, and she was rushed to a hospital where the doctors began to treat her and discovered not all of her wounds were self-inflicted; they knew then that Tara was being sexually abused.

She fully recovered, and now confronted with others knowing about her exploitation, Tara shared that the perpetrator was a family member. After her family heard about Tara, they immediately protested the accusation and did everything in their power to make Tara feel guilty for standing up for herself by pressing charges against her abuser.

Often, when an abuser is a primary male in a household, his imprisonment can negatively affect a family. This fear and sometimes desperation can cause families to lash out against their daughters. However, the acknowledgment of Tara's experiences not only holds her abuser accountable but also provides Tara with the support she needs to rebuild her life. She needed support, and she deserved justice, but her family wouldn't give her either.

In order to separate herself from the bad memories and the guilt that her other relatives made her feel about pressing charges, Tara moved to Happy Horizons. Here, she wasn't blamed; she received counseling, and she had support throughout her trials for justice.

On one of the trips to her town to testify in court, she asked her social worker if she could stop by her old school. There, Tara sought out the teacher who had helped her on that traumatic day when she tried to take her life only a few months prior. In those months, Tara had found enough hope and healing to tell her teacher thank you and assure this teacher that she was going to be okay.

And saying it out loud made it more real for Tara than she had realized. She was moved to tears, but she wasn't sad. She was reassured, knowing that she was strong enough and now she was safe enough to move on and find hope and restoration.