You Can Be Anything › All careers › Social Services & Community
Victim Advocate
Supports victims of crime through the legal process — providing resources, accompaniment, and emotional support.
Did you know?
Victim advocates support people through police and court cases; in 1985 the UN adopted a declaration on justice for victims of crime.
How subjects help
- Law: Explain each stage of a court case and a victim's rights along the way.
- Psychology: Support someone through the fear and shock that can follow a crime.
- Sociology: Link victims to shelters, counselling and other help in the community.
- Communication: Go with a victim to court and speak up for their needs with the police.
A famous name
Rosa Parks: In 1944 she investigated the attack on Recy Taylor for the NAACP and campaigned for justice for her.
Try it yourself: Practise listening the SHUSH way
- Ask your partner to talk for three minutes about something ordinary and happy, like the best day they've had this year.
- Listen the SHUSH way: Show you care (phone away, look at them), Have patience, Use open questions ("Tell me more"), Say it back to check you understood, and Have courage to let a silence happen.
- Don't interrupt or offer a solution: just listen.
- Swap roles. If there is a third person, they watch and say which SHUSH tip they saw each of you use.
Social workers, counsellors and mediators spend much of their day listening carefully like this, so people feel heard before anyone talks about what happens next.
Adapted from Samaritans: DEAL: developing listening skills (SHUSH listening tips).
Also try: Map the helpers near you.
Known for it in
USA, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa