Rescue Team And Sexual Abuse Survivors On The Road To Healing

October 29, 2011

After experiencing sexual abuse, the road to healing is long, but the Association for a More Just Society’s (ASJ) Rescue team is committed to walking the road with survivors and their families.


Patty* has had the Rescue team walk alongside of her in her pain. She lives in a neighborhood in Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa with her mother and several older siblings. She is small and quiet, is a hard worker and a good student, earning the highest math grades in her whole class last year. Patty’s life took a difficult turn last year when her neighbors asked her to come over to help pack spices for their small store. Sadly, instead of packing spices, the neighbor took advantage of the opportunity to sexually abuse Patty, with his wife’s full knowledge.

Patty did not tell her mother about the abuse, because she was afraid that she would punish her. Finally, in January of 2011, Patty began to attend a sponsorship program at a community center where her mentors suspected that she was pregnant. The mentors immediately contacted Patty’s mother who brought her to a doctor who confirmed that she was five months pregnant.


Upon discovering the abuse, Patty’s mother went to the Public Prosecutor’s office to denounce the crime. The Public Prosecutor’s office contacted ASJ’s Rescue project for investigative, legal, and psychological support on the case.


Since the initial contact with Patty’s family, ASJ’s Rescue psychologist has been working with Patty and her family on a regular basis to help her work through her pain and in the initial hearing on March 22, Patty gave her testimony confidently. In addition, with the help of the Rescue investigator, the police arrested the suspect and his wife.


In June Patty had her baby, a girl named Mia, and the Rescue team will continue to support her in this new part of the process. The team visited Patty the day that she came home from the hospital, and brought her some baby supplies purchased through the ASJ survivor’s fund.


Ludim, Rescue’s lawyer, notes “The journey has just begun for this family…the few days that Patty has spent with her baby have been ‘difficult’ according to her.” But, Ludim adds that “Patty will return to school soon. She has always done well in school and continues to want to study.” Ludim and all of the Rescue team will continue to support Patty and her family while she heals.


The Rescue team’s support has been invaluable, both for the Public Prosecutor and for Patty and her family. In the words of Patty’s mother “we know that the Rescue team is supporting us through this time, and we are thankful to God for that.”


*Names changed to protect beneficiaries’ safety and privacy.


Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic vote
By Brian ASJ December 10, 2025
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
December 2, 2025
ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People,  Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
November 28, 2025
A call to action for Honduras
By Elizabeth Hickel November 25, 2025
The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025
November 13, 2025
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
By Elizabeth Hickel November 12, 2025
Dear friend,  I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.
November 11, 2025
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
October 13, 2025
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
September 10, 2025
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
September 8, 2025
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
Show More