‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.’

This verse, found in the thirty first chapter of the book of Proverbs, has a poignant resonance when applied to the situation of those who are crushed and oppressed by people who abuse their own position of power.

When people think of the word ‘advocacy’ it can sometimes drum up images of protesters with placards, chaining themselves to the railings outside Parliament. Although this image may apply in some cases, this is only one outworking of the term. The official definition of an advocate is a person who pleads a case on someone else’s behalf.

Engaging at a grassroots level to help each individual is imperative, but so is engagement to change the structures that allow the exploitation to happen in the first place. At CARE we partner with Beyond the Streets, a network of local projects engaging with people in prostitution, as we see this partnership of grassroots work and structural change as vital. If the aim is to communicate on behalf of someone else then it is important that we are – in some way – informed by that person. It is also important to make sure that we are led by what the survivors want to communicate, rather than simply pushing our own agenda which may or may not resonate with the person who we are actually advocating for.

Many men, women and children in the UK today are unseen and unheard by the vast majority of society. Those of us who have a voice can help change that.