Coming Back, Moving Forward: Jahan’s Story

“My life isn’t exactly the best.”

Jahan says it plainly.

She’s 22, working in home healthcare in New Orleans, helping the elderly and disabled. She likes to read, write, and take long walks. She’s finishing her GED, “Just math left,” she shared excitedly, and thinking about what comes next.

She’s also pregnant.

“It’s hard,” she said. “But I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”

That sense of responsibility runs through everything she shares. It’s simply how she talks about her life.

Finding Safety After Leaving Home

Jahan first came to Covenant House New Orleans when she was 19, after leaving a home she could no longer stay in. She was trying to figure out how to survive on her own.

“I was scared,” she said. “But I was determined.”

When she walked through the doors for the first time a few years ago, she had been trying to make it on her own, carrying more than most people ever see.  Something as simple as a meal brought a steadiness that she hadn’t felt in a while.

“You realize you don’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from,” she said.

It’s a small thing, until it isn’t.

That is where Covenant House New Orleans begins its work, meeting immediate needs while creating the kind of space where a young person can finally exhale, even if just for a moment.

For Jahan, that moment would open the door to everything she had been carrying.

When Trafficking Happens Within the Family

Trafficking, for her, did not come from someone unknown. It came from inside her home.

The man responsible was her mother’s partner. Over time, he exploited Jahan while she was still a child. And what happened to her wasn’t isolated; her younger sister was also harmed. The abuse lived in the same space they were supposed to grow up in, shaping what felt normal, what felt possible, and what was so difficult to say out loud.

This is what staff at Covenant House New Orleans refer to as familial trafficking — when exploitation is carried out by someone within a young person’s family or immediate circle.

“It’s more common than people realize,” said Covenant House New Orleans Director of Strategic Initiatives Sheri Combs, who works closely with young people navigating these experiences. “A lot of the young people we see aren’t being trafficked by strangers. It’s someone they know, someone who has access to them, who has built trust, or who holds some kind of control in their life.”

“When harm is happening inside the home, it’s not always clear to a young person what’s wrong or how to get out of it,” she said. “There’s fear. There’s loyalty. Sometimes there’s love mixed in, and that can make it even harder to speak up.”

By the time she arrived at Covenant House, Jahan was carrying years of trauma tied to someone who should have protected her and didn’t.

Finding the Strength to Speak and Be Heard

When the legal case connected to that abuse resurfaced, it brought everything back to the surface.

At one point, Jahan lost contact with the lawyer who had been helping her. Covenant House staff stepped in, connected her with a new advocate, and stayed close as she made decisions about what she wanted to do next.

“They made me feel safe and seen,” she said. “I didn’t feel like my problems were lost. I didn’t feel weak.”

That support gave her the strength she needed when it came time to testify.

Standing in court meant speaking out against someone who had once held power in her home. It meant revisiting what had been done to her and to her sister, and carrying the weight of knowing others had been hurt in the same way.

“I got up there and I told my story,” Jahan said.

She hoped it would count for something beyond her own case.

“I hope I helped the other women he hurt who didn’t get justice.”

The man was found guilty on multiple counts and sentenced to many years in prison.

The outcome gave Jahan both relief and grief. There was comfort in knowing he could not harm anyone else, but there was also a quieter, heavier feeling that didn’t go away, especially when she thought about her sister.

“It was bittersweet,” she said. “It was kind of sad that I couldn’t protect her,” she said, speaking of the guilt she once felt.

Through counseling and consistent support, Jahan began to understand something she had not always been able to hold onto:

“It wasn’t my fault.”

Covenant House helped her return to that truth, again and again, until it started to feel real.

“I protected her as much as I could,” she said.

Jahan stayed at Covenant House for about a year the first time. She found work, began rebuilding her life, and eventually moved forward on her own.

But life didn’t follow a straight path.

Her brother became sick. There were more family challenges, another unsafe relationship, and the loss of both her mother and grandmother in the same year.

Everything began to shift again. So, she came back.

This is Jahan’s second stay at Covenant House New Orleans, and returning brought its own set of emotions.

“I did feel that way,” she said, when asked if she felt disappointed in herself. “I’ve always been hard on myself. Whatever the reason is, I just feel like I can do better.”

The belief that you should have figured it out by now can be hard to shake.

But this time, Jahan is holding a different understanding alongside it.

“Sometimes there's a reason for you to go back to the same place,” she said. “There’s a reason for everything.”

She talks about her faith, and about the sense that being back at Covenant House may have been what kept her safe at a time when everything else felt uncertain.

“I might as well just take advantage of the help that I’m receiving,” she said. “There’s no reason to beat myself up about it. I already know what to do. Just keep my head down and keep doing what I have to do.”

Now, Jahan is focused on what comes next.

Building a Future for Herself and Her Child

While she is finishing her GED and working, she's also planning for college, saving for a car, thinking about a home, and preparing for her baby.

Covenant House New Orleans’ programs for young parents are part of that path, offering support, resources, and guidance as she moves forward.

Jahan is clear about what she wants other young people to know.

“Any woman or man who needs help — don’t be afraid to ask for it,” she said.

It’s something she had to learn for herself more than once.

“Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. Your dreams are real. Life is hard, but stay strong.”

She’s still in it—working, building, and figuring it out as she goes.

Each year on July 30, the world marks the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, recognizing the millions of people impacted by human trafficking and the importance of prevention, protection, and long-term support.

Jahan’s story is one example of what that support can look like when it is consistent, patient, and rooted in trust. Explore the realities of human trafficking and how Covenant House cares for pregnant and parenting youth like Jahan as they work to rebuild their lives.