atlanta_women_05_girls_0109

Fearing for the wellbeing of his daughters, the father of Nadine’s sister has taken them back to Alabama andhas refused to let Nadine see them.Nadine openly admits to engaging in prostitution but denies being pimped, even though her boyfriend is“pimping some young girls.” She claims she would “only count his money.” Nadine admits to traveling toMiami last year to dance in a strip club but says it was her idea. She hopes to marry her boyfriend as soon asshe turns 16.Nadine has been removed by the Department of Child and Family Services (DFCS) several times for parent-childconflicts. During one of those conflicts, Nadine started a fire in the house and slashed her mother’s tire.When Nadine was 15 years old, Fulton County DFCS removed Nadine from her mother’s house and placedher in a foster home, but Nadine ran away and later, she was found in a motel with a man who worked for thehome. DFCS turned the child back over to her mother, saying, “DFCS can't do anything for her, either.”Nadine was sent to Angela's House this year, where she is doing very well. Nadine is very angry with her motherand feels that her behavior was her mother’s fault. Her mother has made no effort to contact her daughter.Rochelle –17-year-old African AmericanRochelle was 12 years old when she began running away because “something was wrong at home.” Her motherwas locking her in the house without food for long periods. Initially she stayed with a neighbor but eventuallybegan running away. Rochelle admits to running away over twenty-five times.Rochelle says her relationship with her mother was all right until one of her mother’s boyfriends molested her.Even after Rochelle disclosed the abuse to her mother, she failed to protect her daughter. Instead, Rochelle’smother demeaned her and called her names. She even went so far as to lock her daughter out of the house.Rochelle has very little contact with her father. In 7th grade, she was kicked out of school for fighting and hasbeen struggling to catch up ever since. She finds school very frustrating because she “could not do the work.”During the times that she was on the run, Rochelle admits that she would support herself by meeting menat Five Points who “would let her stay with them.” She became involved with a pimp when she was 15 yearsold. Rochelle claimed “he was really sweet at first,” and then he began “telling me, you can’t stay in this housefor free.” She feels that “he took care of me and gave me somewhere to stay.” To date, no charges have beenfiled against this man. In 2003, Rochelle was sent to Angela's House but she ran away and she was sent toMetro RYDC.Rochelle would do anything to get attention from her mother. She has been diagnosed with post-traumaticstress disorder, depression, and reactive attachment disorder. Rochelle has problems sleeping and suffers fromanxiety. She is also suffering from a learning disorder, in part due to all the schooling she has missed. Rochellehas a lot of buried rage and states that she is determined not to let anyone take advantage of her again. Shefeels scared of men and finds her life is “confusing to her.”Rochelle is currently in the custody of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and living in a group home.45