The Family Secret
The Family Secret
Topic
Familial Trafficking
Overview
Mia dropped out of high school and has become isolated, emotionally distant, and hopeless about her future. Growing up in a neglectful environment, Mia experienced situations that shaped her understanding of relationships and survival. Now, she finds herself repeating the same harmful patterns she witnessed as a child. Believing this is her only option, Mia continues down a dangerous path. However, is this truly the only choice available to her, or is there another way forward?
Purpose
To raise awareness about familial trafficking and how exploitation can occur within trusted family relationships. This topic highlights how cycles of abuse and trafficking may continue across generations when victims lack support, resources, and safe alternatives.
Copyright and License
Familial Trafficking: The Family Secret — Human and Cat Versions
Written by: Byeol Park; Dominique Roe-Sepowitz Illustrations by: James Lopez
Copyright © 2026 Sex Trafficking Intervention Research Office (STIR). All rights reserved, except as expressly granted under the license below.
The Human and Cat Versions of Familial Trafficking: The Family Secret are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
You may share and redistribute the Human or Cat Version in its original, unmodified form for noncommercial purposes, provided that you:
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You may not use either version for commercial purposes or distribute modified, adapted, translated, remixed, or otherwise derivative versions without separate permission from STIR.
Copyright holder: Sex Trafficking Intervention Research Office (STIR)
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
License information: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
For educational, teaching, or other authorized uses, please contact STIR to request permission.