Dear Sister goes beyond traditional books on healing that use “experts” to explain the experience of sexual abuse survivors and speaks directly to, and for, other survivors. Author and editor Lisa Factora-Borchers has compiled a multi-generational, multi-ethnic collection of letters and essays that create a moving journey through the hearts and minds of over fifty survivors. The following excerpt from “From Trauma to Strength” shares a lesson in childbearing.

The events surrounding the summer night of July 7, 2013, remain a complete mystery. Oklahoma teenager Molly Miller was out with her friends, Colt Haynes and James Conn Nipp, when things turned very wrong. The Honda Accord Nipp was driving allegedly spun out in front of police. Authorities say Nipp then led them on a high speed chase down country roads, flying at over 120 mph, swerving into an oncoming lane, and eventually turning his headlights off, according to court documents.

A North Carolina man has been arrested after police say he spent five days hiding in a 14-year-old girl’s closet and sexually assaulting her at night. Jarred Ashley Workman, 27, of Iredell County, was charged with 11 counts of statutory rape and five counts of statutory sex offense, according to WCNC. Authorities said Workman chatted with the teen on social media for about a month before deciding to meet up in the woods near the girl’s home.

Dreamcatchers for Abused Children 2nd Annual March Against Child AbuseSaturday, May 10th in Port Huron, MI What an amazing day!! Dreamcatchers March Against Child Abuse- Port Huron, MI 2nd Annual MACA March was a huge success!! Approximately 500 attendees were present to participate in the march against child abuse. The anti-abuse activists gathered at Pine Grove Park […]

U.S. – The FBI is asking for the public’s help to identify victims of a suspected serial child predator who has been living in the Southeast United States. The female victims—some as young as 8 years old—may be unaware of what happened to them. Matthew John Coniglio, a 46-year-old U.S. citizen who was jailed in Savannah on April 10 for possession of child pornography, committed suicide on April 20 while incarcerated. At the time of his arrest, Coniglio worked as a sales representative for a food distribution company headquartered in Florida.

TULSA, Oklahoma – Police say several witnesses are able to link a registered sex offender to the rape of a 5-year-old child that took place Saturday morning in East Tulsa. The child’s mother walked in on the sexual assault after hearing her daughter crying, according to police. She found a man, who police say is Kyle Duane Hancock, sexually assaulting the child. The man escaped through a window, but police say they captured him later in the day.

A father has been charged with child abuse after he threw his two-year-old daughter into a swimming pool to teach her a lesson. Shocking surveillance video captured the toddler being tossed into the water. Another woman, already in the water, races across to pluck the girl to safety before she sinks to the bottom. Corey McCarthy told police he threw the girl into the water because she had dropped a five-week-old puppy in the pool and it died. He said he wanted to teach her a lesson about playing around water.

An Alaskan abuse victim who was beaten with a shovel and left to sleep outside by his adoptive parents more than a decade ago has won a $1 million settlement from state social services. T.J White, 20, was awarded the sum on Friday following Alaska’s Office of Child Services decision to place him with Anchorage couple Patrick and Sherry Kelley in 2001 – despite repeated complaints from his immediate family about abuse. The Kelley’s were jailed in 2004 for 17 months for the treatment they dished out to T.J over three years, which included breaking his arm and keeping him outside for so long he had to endure maggots infesting open wounds.

A pervert school teacher is facing jail after he was convicted of sexually abusing four teenage girls over Facebook. Alexander Thomas, 30, from Swindon, Wiltshire, used the social network site to groom the sixth form students – asking them to send him semi-naked photographs, a court heard. The PE and Business Studies teacher was convicted by a jury at Swindon Crown Court of five counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity while in a position of trust. He was bailed for sentencing on June 13.

A 15-year-old girl who was bullied by classmates for years has killed herself after naming her tormenters in a suicide note and telling them: ‘Thanks for all the pain.’ Cora Delille’s body was found by a family member at their home in Pickerington, Ohio on May 10 after she hanged herself, Commander Matt Delp of Pickerington Police said. She left an emotional note giving a ‘myriad of reasons’ why she took her life, including classmates calling her names and feeling abandoned by her father and stepfather, he told MailOnline. ‘There were complex issues,’ Delp explained. ‘She wrote about her home life and feeling unloved. Her mother and stepfather – the father she had known for 14 years – were getting a divorce. Her boyfriend had broken up with her the day before. There were many reasons.’

A man jailed for cannibalism has been rearrested after police found the head of a three-year-old boy in his home a year after his release. Mohammad Arif Ali and his brother Mohammad Farman Ali were first arrested back in 2011 after they were found to have disinterred bodies from a Bhakkar district graveyard and eaten parts of them, Pakistan’s Express newspaper reports. The pair were fined and jailed for two years but upon their release they returned to their home town of Darya Khan.

OKEMOS, MI— A Michigan woman intentionally suffocated her newborn daughter in an attempt to conceal her pregnancy, a police detective testified earlier this month. Melissa Mitin did not know about her pregnancy when she delivered the baby at an Okemos, Mich., home in late December, Meridian Township police Detective Brett Reed testified during a hearing that led to charges being filed.

A Cincinnati man described as an ‘enthusiastic participant’ in child pornography involving an 11-month-old and a nine-year-old showed no remorse on Tuesday as he was sentenced to 240-years behind bars. James O. Napier, 40, was ordered to pay $95,009 to his victims after being found guilty of recording a video of himself molesting the infant in November of 2009 and placing it online after having babysat the child. Napier, who was found in possession of 1,300 child pornography pictures and 550 videos, also videoed himself making the nine-year-old girl perform oral sex on him, which he also placed on the Internet.

A convicted sex offender from Iowa faces felony charges after he was found hiding under a child’s bed. The two charges were filed Tuesday for 33-year-old Julien Martell Skipper. He remains at the Scott County Jail. Mr Skipper was found April 19 hiding at a neighbor’s apartment in Bettendorf as police investigated a disturbance call. He was arrested at the time and charged with possession with intent to deliver and a parole violation.