Welcome to Unsilenced
Unsilenced is a non profit organization that serves past, present, and future victims of institutional child abuse from within the Troubled Teen Industry. Our mission Is to stop Institutional child abuse by empowering self-advocates to promote lasting social change. Utilizing education and awareness, survivor support, and justice support, Unsilenced aims to protect the civil, social, and human rights of youth.
How we make our impact
Justice Support
We are committed to empowering survivors of institutional abuse by providing tailored access to diverse justice paths. Whether it’s assisting with media engagements to tell their stories or connecting them with dedicated legal professionals, we support survivors in holding their abusers accountable.
Our Attorney Directory connects survivors with attorneys who specialize in institutional abuse and youth residential facility cases. The directory helps survivors find legal representation experienced in holding programs and perpetrators accountable, often on a contingency basis so survivors can pursue justice without upfront legal costs.
Experience Surveys
We support investigations into programs by collecting survey data from survivors and former staff. These surveys help document patterns of abuse, misconduct, and unsafe practices, providing critical information that can guide investigations, inform journalists and advocates, and support civil litigation against abusive facilities.
Education and Training
Unsilenced provides in-depth education, training, and collaboration for law firms and public defenders working on institutional abuse cases involving the Troubled Teen Industry. These trainings help legal advocates better understand industry practices, survivor experiences, and historical patterns of abuse, strengthening their ability to investigate cases and build effective litigation or mitigation strategies against facilities.
Survivor Support
We provide direct support to survivors of institutional abuse as they heal and rebuild their lives.
Survivor Independence Packs support survivors who have recently aged out of youth facilities and are experiencing unstable housing or financial insecurity. Each pack includes a backpack with a laptop preloaded with survivor resources, along with gift cards, books, essential supplies, and hygiene items. The materials provide guidance on education, career development, housing, mental health support, and life skills, helping survivors rebuild stability and independence after leaving institutional care.
Unsilenced facilitates monthly survivor support groups led by trauma-informed mental health professionals. These groups provide a safe, confidential space for survivors to share experiences, build community, and access peer support. Specialized groups are offered for neurodivergent survivors, LGBTQIA+ survivors, and survivors navigating substance use recovery.
Unsilenced develops practical guides and survivor-centered resources designed to help individuals navigate life after institutional abuse. These materials include handbooks on accessing personal records, understanding legal rights and options, pursuing accountability through legal action, and finding resources that support healing, stability, and long-term recovery.
Education and Awareness
We educate professionals, policymakers, and communities about the Troubled Teen Industry to increase transparency, strengthen accountability, and prevent institutional abuse.
This initiative aims to educate caregivers, school and justice systems, medical and mental health practitioners, and child-placing agencies on the detrimental effects of institutionalization to interrupt the community-to-institution pipeline. Through survivor-informed presentations and trainings, the initiative raises awareness about how young people are funneled into institutional programs and equips decision-makers with the knowledge needed to support safer, community-based alternatives and keep families together.
Our Program Archive maintains the largest known public database on the Troubled Teen Industry, containing more than 100,000 documents on over 3,500 youth residential programs. These records are compiled through extensive research, public records requests, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filings, helping bring transparency to an industry that has historically operated with little oversight. The archive preserves critical information about program operations, complaints, investigations, and closures, providing a resource for survivors, families, journalists, researchers, and policymakers.
Industry Expertise
Unsilenced serves as a trusted resource for lawmakers, journalists, and researchers seeking accurate information about the Troubled Teen Industry. Our team provides expert consultation on policy and reform efforts, contributes to media coverage through interviews and podcasts, and helps ensure that survivor experiences and documented evidence inform public understanding of the industry.
Legislative Mobilization
We mobilize our community to raise awareness of legislation aimed at improving oversight and protecting youth from institutional abuse. Unsilenced works with survivors and advocates to support policy reform efforts, including identifying and preparing survivors to share testimony that helps inform lawmakers and advance critical protections for young people
