Healing amid God’s love at 'Tu Refugio Seguro'

VALLEY FORGE, PA (09/16/2025)—“Eighty percent of sexual violence is committed by someone we know,” said Irina Sorrels, director of "Tu Refugio Seguro” (Your Safe Refuge), an Indiana-based ministry supporting Latino survivors of domestic and sexual violence as well as trafficking. “Usually the survivors know the abusers—they could be our parents, they could be our brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles—usually it’s somebody who is a part of or very close to the family.”Official statistics confirm this number. The myth about “stranger danger” is one of the misconceptions that Tu Refugio Seguro is trying to combat. Other ones imply that domestic and sexual violence are provoked by the victim, that rape is an outcome of sexual attraction, and that human trafficking is the exclusive domain of organized criminal networks (according to The Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative, 41 percent of cases of human trafficking of children are perpetrated by family members.)Grounded in social work approaches to educate the Latino community about the realities of abuse and trafficking, the ministry places faith at the center of its healing method. “You can go and see a psychologist, you can go and see a psychiatrist, you can go to a social worker … and that will help you, but to really heal completely, the Holy Spirit needs to be involved. God needs to be involved,” stated Sorrels emphatically. As a survivor herself, she emphasized that “who really healed my soul was God—my relationship with God and with Jesus Christ.”Following its mission to heal and transform communities, American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has supported Tu Refugio Seguro in its work, as it strives to bring Christ’s love and restoration to people whose lives have been torn asunder by sexual abuse, domestic violence, or human trafficking. The project is ongoing, with the ministry providing direct services, cultivating community-wide change, and healing through faith. The ministry also works to address the lack of culturally and spiritually appropriate services for Latino survivors in Indiana.One of the most powerful outcomes of the grant has been the training of community advocates. As survivors themselves, they play a large part in the ministry’s multi-pronged supportive approach. They sensitize their communities to the red flags of abuse, such as sudden isolation, controlling behaviors, threats tied to immigration status, or unexplained bruises. They also accompany survivors to court hearings and hospitals and connect them with shelters.There is great demand for Tu Refugio Seguro’s support. “As soon as people know you are preparing to be certified as an advocate for survivors, you will start seeing people all the time,” said Sorrels. “People begin to tell you, ‘I was abused, my cousin, my niece, my daughter.’” Sorrels’ dream is to build a designated shelter serving members of the Latino community one day to extend the impact of the ministry in the community. This shelter would help her streamline the work and provide Latinos and Latinas with a safe place of healing.The work of Tu Refugio Seguro is God’s work. Help the vision of a sanctuary where the most vulnerable are healed reach its full potential by giving at our online portal.It is important to remember that sexual and domestic violence blight all communities and demographics. Tu Refugio Seguro focuses on helping Latino survivors because language barriers and lack of culturally competent services make Latinas and Latinos especially underserved.By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, ABHMS senior writer and associate editor of The Christian Citizen