Dealing with abused and sex trafficked children is a full-time passion for Bob Battillo. He was once on the other side and lived through some horrendous abuse himself as a child. His mom was manic depressive, and when she was off her meds, which was frequently, she was really off the wall.
Bob and his two brothers and half sister were placed in foster care while mom was in a mental institution, but that was not an antidote for the abuse at home. One foster mom directly told the family that she was in it for the money, and she treated the boys horribly. His sister at least got a good family, and was adopted.
Fast forward a few decades. Bob saw an ad in the paper for security and facilities manager at a child crisis center in Phoenix that took in CPS kids who were abused. This was right up his line of work, and his heart was drawn to the little children who were being mistreated. He got hired on, and literally threw himself into his work.
Living and breathing for his work with the children, Bob would put in 80 hours a week, and then volunteer additional time. It was easy to fall in love with these kids, but there was more heartbreak in trying to protect them. One family group of two boys and a girl stayed for a time, and the oldest boy wouldn’t sleep while waiting for the school bus so he could watch his siblings. They later got placed in different homes, and Bob suffered greatly for the pain the children must have felt. Another child was in the process of being placed, but got killed by the stepfather when CPS didn’t act quickly enough. This really tore Bob apart.
Eventually, CPS changed their focus away from large group home settings, and the property was sold to StreetLight USA to be a safehouse for sex trafficked girls. Bob was asked if he could help monitor the grounds, and he agreed, and was hired on for security and facilities. As he learned about the terrible crisis of child sex slavery in the US and particularly in Phoenix, his heart again was deeply stirred on behalf of these vulnerable children who became objects of prey for sexual lust. He became a staunch advocate on behalf of the security that would be needed on campus to adequately protect the residents.
In addition to making sure all the alarm and mechanical systems are working properly, Bob is in charge of the volunteer and paid team of security guards to keep 24/7 surveillance of the property. That means a lot of shifts need to be filled every day, and if backup is needed, the spot often gets filled by Bob himself. He is very gifted at connecting with law enforcement agencies, hadware and grocery stores, and recreational facilities to get donations of desperately needed items for the girls’ cottages or their programming. In his spare time, he volunteers to help at events or go shopping if needed.
I will even do food shopping, just to see the look on the girls’ faces. Today, I told them, “I did the food shopping and I don’t take criticism well (if it wasn’t what you wanted)”. One girl smiled at me and replied, “It is the thought that counts.”
I know that we won’t fix all their problems, but if we can fix half of them, that is great.
Next: The passion to protect and restore sex trafficking victims is enlarged by community
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