Hello, my name is Mark. After working in Social Care for over 15 years, I was looking for a change of career, and saw the vacancy for an Outreach Advocate position with Hestia’s Modern Slavery Response Team. Like most people, my knowledge of victims of modern slavery was limited to news articles and the media’s portrayal of them. The role sounded varied and interesting, and so I applied and was successful in my application.
I have now been with Hestia for 3 years. The role is very demanding, but ultimately, very rewarding - knowing that you are supporting people to recover and move on from their experiences of modern slavery, and to find their independence and place in the world post trauma.
I enjoy the varied aspects of the role; from meeting my clients, catching up and discussing / reviewing their needs, and supporting them to access their entitlements, to completing reports that will be used by the relevant authorities to make a decision regarding their claims of modern slavery.
The role has given me a greater understanding of modern slavery and its many forms, and how the portrayal of victims of modern slavery in the media are at times inaccurate, and potentially damaging to people who are ultimately a victim. I have seen how being a victim of modern slavery can impact an individual’s life, whilst also observing the resilience of people who do not want to be labelled as a “victim” for the rest of their lives, but want to be seen as someone with dreams, aspirations, and hope for the future, as do we all.
