I have a few minutes to kill at work, so I thought I'd expound on my last couple of days. Catharsis and all, eh?

I'm really liking my job. I know that I would get burnt out if I did it forever and emotionally calloused to the point of devoid of feelings, but I like that I'm really doing direct service work. I'll be training and shadowing still for quite a while, which is important, because the last thing a sexual assault victim needs is an incompetent support system. ;)

So this is a case, and something I feel is pretty indicative of the hard situations I'll be facing and advocating for: a 14 y/o is 13 weeks pregnant by her brother. She claims he raped her. While it's still classified incest, fortunately, they are not biologically related. *Wipe brow. However, she's from a village, got an abortion this morning, her mom doesn't believe her, but she's also got a past of lying, stealing, and running away. My job is to always believe and advocate for the child, but the mom is in a tough position. She's demanding fetal DNA testing, but regardless, it's a pretty hard situation. She believes the brother, doesn't like the daughter, and the 14 y/o is so desperate for attention, it's just sad. They don't have the services to help them in the village, and she's ADD and FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder), which doesn't help. Just crazy. I can't believe the anxiety and confusion they must feel.

But...I wanted to share a list of questions that I just received from the teen group I facilitated today. There are five girls that have all been through some pretty hellacious sexual abuse, but are really great, and after giving them the opportunity to ask questions on paper that I'll answer for next time, it really makes me see how much troubled youth need in terms of answers and support.

The caveat to some of the bizarre-ness of the questions is that I said they could ask anything. And I did, more or less, transcribe some the misspellings (it's more funny in their terms and spellings...but...). And I'd like to note how three of five were curious as to why we're in war...

Why are boys so perverted?
Why does ink stain?
What is the meaning of life?
Why do people die so much?
Why are boys so immature?
Who invented ice cream?
Why are we still in Iraq five years later?
What is love?
Can you get an STD from public toilets?
Is it true that if you don’t use your penis you lose your penis?
Why is the president such a jerk? Why are we at war?
Why is there school?
Why is there alcohol, drugs, and stuff like that?
Why are there friends?
Why do we have to have an education?
Why do people kill animals?
Why do people kill people?
Why do people get abused by their parents?
Why do people rape people?
Why do people wear jewelry?
Why are guys weird?
Why do people hate family?
Why do people get abortions?
Why are we in war for?
Why is there birthdays?
Why are there holidays?
Why are there colors?
Why are there animals?
Why are there people on earth not another planet?
Why are there human beings?
Why are there computers?
Why are there houses?
Why is there paper?
Why are there pens, pencils?
Why is there food?
Why is there sugar?
Why is there a moon, sun?