Hi,
A friend of a friend has contacted me, requesting resources for an abused 13-year-old individual who lives a half an hour out from Toronto. They are nonbinary trans (wish to be seen as neither male nor female), and they have a previous arrest for "mischief and malice". Their abusive mother has threatened to hand them over to the authorities, and has been known to make up things to the police to make the child look worse. They have not reported the abuse yet for fear that their mother will find out and retaliate, and/or that the police will believe the mother instead of the youth because they have an arrest record. Their father is, as far as I can tell, not in the picture. (Of course, both parents blame the child for the divorce, because that's just how these things go, eh?)
Is there an organization that could give them assistance in reporting abuse? Are there any trauma-informed diversion programs in the area? If they must leave home immediately, are there shelters or organizations that could help?
Thanks in advance!
