While we’d love to simply shout, “Alohomora!” and unlock survivors’ metaphorical chains, escaping a forced marriage and rebuilding a life takes a lot more work than just casting a spell.

One of the many ways we support forced and child marriage survivors is by hosting an annual retreat to give our clients and their children a day of fun — and to give survivors a chance to meet, mingle and share their inspiring stories. Our clients are at all different stages in their journeys, and these retreats help them build a network of support with one another. After all, in the words of the late, great Albus Dumbledore, “You need your friends.”

So this year, we took Dumbledore’s advice and headed to Broadway on Sunday to celebrate Halloween early and watch the spellbinding play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” We gathered for a group lunch beforehand, then we headed to the Lyric Theatre to immerse ourselves in the Wizarding World.

Last year, we watched “Aladdin” on Broadway together, and in years past, we’ve taken group day trips to Six Flags theme park.

Please make an unbreakable vow to support our work so we can continue to uplift survivors escaping forced and child marriages and provide powerful experiences for them to encourage and share with each other.