Real Life Stories
Here are the stories of a few of the children whom The Children’s Alliance of Hawai‘i (CAH) has helped on their journey of healing toward becoming healthy, productive adults.Names and identities have been changed to protect confidentiality.
Anna
Anna, a quiet 9-year-old who rarely smiled, was referred to CAH by the State Dept. of Human Services Child Welfare Services Division. Anna had been sexually abused by her stepfather from age 4 to age 8. After each episode of abuse, Anna’s stepfather would remind her that she and her immigrant mother would be deported if she ever told anyone. However, Anna’s mother knew something was wrong, even before Anna finally told her what was happening.Read More...
Gina
Gina comes from a large family. At age 12, she sought out her biological father whom she had not seen very much for most of her life. As their relationship grew, the sex abuse started. It lasted for over two years. When Gina finally disclosed the abuse to a family member, her biological father was arrested.Read More...
Karen
Karen is the mother of four active boys, ranging from 2 to 15 years of age. Her oldest son was sexually abused by his uncle from age 6 to 10. She was distraught when she learned about her son’s abuse and tried to find ways to provide support to her son.Read More...
Bryant and Sai
Bryant and Sai have been best friends since the third grade when they lived in the same apartment building and went to school together. Like many children, Bryant and Sai were inquisitive, adventurous and sometimes a bit daring. They feared little. When the resident manager of their apartment building invited them into his unit to use his computer, it was easy to accept. He was friendly and everyone in the building knew him. The boys got unlimited access to the computer, cool videos and snacks. It was during the fourth or fifth visit that he sexually molested them. He warned them that, if they tried to tell anyone, no one would believe them, and their families would be kicked out of the building because of them.Read More...
