Advocate

Noun: a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause

Verb: to recommend or support

Transforming Cultures of Care: CSEY Advocacy by the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development features individuals who use Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) in their unique roles as advocates for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation.

Restoration of a survivor’s physical and psychological health involves a long journey through protection, recognition, recovery, supporting healing, and ultimately bringing justice.

CSEY stands for commercially sexually exploited youth. The role of the CSEY advocate is to engage with the child or youth immediately upon recovery and to maintain a supportive, trust-based relationship and contact throughout healing and aftercare. Some CSEY advocacy organizations in Texas use TRBI as a tool for doing this work, emphasizing connecting and empowering principles to promote survivor restoration of personal health.

Many agencies and organizations comprise the continuum of care for survivors of trafficking. Advocates are the face of all those efforts for the survivor – they personalize the intent of the collective to bring a trauma-informed approach to accompanying these youth on their personal journey toward freedom and healing.

This is a glimpse into their story.