The Helpers Matter: How One Caring Adult Can Interrupt a Deadly Lie
When I look back on my childhood, one truth stands out: I didn’t need someone to fix everything. I needed just one adult to believe me, to ask again, to keep showing up and to hold just a bit more.
For children trapped in family-controlled trafficking, silence isn’t just encouraged—it’s enforced through fear and manipulation. Abusers often repeat lies like:
“No one will believe you.”
“You’ll only get in trouble if you tell.”
“The people outside don’t care about you.”
For a child already carrying the weight of trauma, these messages can become deadly. Suicide begins to feel like the only option when a young person believes there is no one who will help.
The Power of One Caring Adult
But the presence of just one safe, attentive adult can change everything. A teacher who notices a student’s sudden withdrawal. A coach who takes seriously a child’s reluctance to go home. A doctor who hears hesitation when a parent insists on staying in the exam room. These moments matter.
Research shows that having even one trusted adult in a child’s life can significantly lower their risk of attempting suicide—even in the face of severe trauma. It is not about solving the entire problem. It is about offering safety, consistency, and belief.
Signs Helpers Can Watch For
While every child is different, there are patterns helpers should be alert to:
Frequent “mystery” health complaints (stomachaches, headaches, visits to the nurse)
Sudden changes in mood, attendance, or engagement
Overly rehearsed or anxious answers when asked simple questions
Signs of fear, shame, or extreme guilt that don’t match the situation
These are not just “behavioral issues.” They may be survival signals.
Belief is Intervention
One of the most powerful things an adult can do is believe. For children who have been told over and over that no one will help, being believed interrupts the deadly lie.
Belief requires us to set aside our own bias and open our minds to the possibility that these horrors can and do happen to children. It means resisting the urge to dismiss a disclosure with, “That can’t be true—I’ve never heard of such things or had it happen to me.”
When a child risks disclosure—or even hints at it—adults have a chance to offer a new message: “You matter. I hear you. You are not alone.” That moment can plant the seed of hope strong enough to keep a child alive.
Suicide Awareness Month: A Call to Helpers
This Suicide Awareness Month, we want to say this clearly: you don’t have to be perfect to matter. You don’t need all the answers. What survivors need most are adults who will notice, who will listen, and who will believe and stand with them in their fear.
If you are a teacher, a nurse, a coach, or simply a neighbor—know that your presence can be life-saving. When you believe, when you act, you can interrupt a deadly lie and give a survivor the chance to keep going.