Tay is a wonderfully kind, clever, hard-working young man. I can’t imagine the inner strength that he needed as a child to leave

Tay is a wonderfully kind, clever, hard-working young man. I can’t imagine the inner strength that he needed as a child to leave an abusive family, survive on the city streets from the age of 13,  and then turn his life around when finally someone offered help. Once he met Blue Dragon, Tay returned to education and later got a job that he loves. He lives with such dignity; his experiences have strengthened him, not made him weaker.

And then there are the girls we rescued from trafficking.

The courage that they have to call for help is superhuman. Those who make that call and then trust us to find them and bring them home are taking a huge risk. They can be killed if the trafficker knows they plan to escape.

After all they’ve been through, I don’t know how they have the strength to keep going. But they do, and their bravery should win them awards, not scorn.

It’s sad that these kids grow up to face discrimination when they deserve admiration and respect. These young people are an asset to society: resilient, creative, determined.

Yes, they are victims of a crime, but they are also heroes who have overcome extreme hardship.

Kids who have been through traumatic events deserve our support to take back control of their lives. Those events may shape them, but they don’t define them.

And above all, a terrible experience – like homelessness or trafficking – does not make them bad people.

Thanks for reading Life Is A Long Story. To find out more about Blue Dragon’s work, drop by the website: www.bluedragon.org