Victim Advocacy

Read:

Breaking Barriers: The Role ofCommunity-Based and Systems-Based Victim Advocates Training Module (pp. 1-62)

Shepherds of the Criminal Justice System:County Program Helps Victims through the Adjudication Process Full Article ()

Sexual Assault Survivors Turned Activists Full Article ()

Webster defines an advocate as aperson who supports or promotes the interests of a cause or group.

In victim services, advocates play a critical role in helpingindividuals whose lives have been disrupted and forever changed by crime. Referencing this weeks readings, answer the following questions: 

        Is a systems-basedadvocate truly able to advocate for victims as defined above?

        Some community-baseddomestic violence organizations and rape crisis centers have been known toemploy survivors.  Can you think of any potential risks to having asurvivor work at these agencies in a direct services capacity?                                                                          

        When consideringWebsters definition, is there an advocacy role that would lend itselfparticularly well to a survivor?  In other words, in what ways might asurvivor be effective in advocating for victims beyond a direct servicesrole?                                                   

        Discuss systems-basedadvocacy, community-based advocacy and survivor-based advocacy as symbiotic. In other words, how can different advocacy fields complement one another inpromoting and advancing the interests of victims at large?