I’m self-employed now and I can be more flexible with my time. That’s why I first decided to be a volunteer at Invisible traffic GB. I have always wanted to do this sort of work but full time work got in the way in the past. I have worked in the health and social care sector all my working life, first as a nurse, later as a health visitor and then I moved into senior management and have been involved in planning services for people with drugs and alcohol issues.
In one way or another, over most of my career I have been involved in working to improve the life chances of vulnerable groups and this has been my life’s passion. The women that are helped through Invisible Traffick GB are by far the most vulnerable I have ever come across. What they have endured is beyond the imagination and it is difficult to accept that one human being could treat another human being in such a way. However one thing that working in the substance misuse sector has taught me is that lives can be turned around. That even after the most appalling trauma, there is hope that the emotional scars can heal and life can go on.
Recovery is a long and rocky road. It is a journey that is different for everyone, but people do recover from the most hideous ordeals and go on to lead happy, productive and fulfilling lives. It does not happen overnight though. It takes time, patience and lots of love and care. In my experience one of the most important first steps to recovery is to learn to trust again: to begin to reconnect with other people, and relate in a positive way. In order to do this, the women that come to live in the house firstly need to feel safe. They need to know that they can trust us as volunteers – it’s a big ask, after what they have been through – and not just at the hands of men, but they have also been betrayed, tricked and even abused by other women.
Sometimes I think I don’t actually do much at the house. I don’t do much in the way of activities, because I do overnights on a Saturday night – Saturday night is film night so we all watch a movie. Basically I go in at 8:30 pm, sit with the women and watch a movie, we maybe have a bit of supper, then its bedtime. I ensure the women get up and get their own breakfast in the morning and I hand over at 8:30 am. Occasionally there are issues that come up that need managing, but usually it’s pretty uneventful and I get a good night’s sleep myself. So you can see how I sometimes feel I don’t do much. However what I do is build trust and create a safe routine. I turn up on time – every time. I do what I say I’m going to do. I demonstrate that many people can be trusted and I make sure that everyone gets on OK. I diffuse any tensions between the women. I ensure that everyone feels safe. I make it clear what is acceptable behaviour and I am a positive role model. ( I hope!)
I am a lot older than the women who live at the house and I like to think they see me as a sort of mum figure. I am aware that many of them have had very poor parenting experiences and I hope I can model what a good, caring mum should be like. Above all I want them to feel that I really care and that I am genuinely interested in their welfare. The fact that we are all volunteers is significant for the women that live at the house. They know we don’t get paid and they appreciate that we do what we do simply because we care about them. It’s not a job.
The house is home to the women and so we keep rules to a minimum. Any rules are there for a good reason – usually it’s about being safe – and we explain the reasons to the women. Above all we try to create a warm, friendly and homely environment where the women feel safe and secure. Routine is an important part of feeling safe and so I am pretty firm about bed time.
Because of their trauma, and their experiences with other women involved in trafficking sometimes I have to deal with challenging behaviour, either directed at me or at other residents, but I have always managed to deal with it OK and I have had training to help me understand why the women can sometimes challenge, what to do to identify when tensions are building and how to deal with it. We have good support and good training.
As a volunteer I am gaining valuable experience. I am learning a lot about other cultures and about the social, political and economic situation in other parts of the world and how it can impact upon the most vulnerable members of society. It’s also very hard to stomach the fact that the majority of human trafficking is home grown, and targets young people born in this country. To acknowledge that we have failed so many of our own young people makes me feel very sad indeed. On the one hand it’s shocking and distressing to see first-hand the effects of modern slavery and human trafficking, but on the other hand seeing how all the volunteers pull together as a team and the passion, generosity and genuine concern of all those who give either time or money or services and put in so much love and care, restores my faith in humanity and reminds me how lucky I am.
My life hasn’t been without its ups and downs but by comparison it’s been a walk in the park. It’s also good to feel part of a team and I enjoy getting together with the other volunteers on training and supervision sessions and also socially. We all support each other.
I’ve made some fantastic friends through volunteering for ITGB and it’s good to feel part of a team which is having such a positive influence on the lives of the women who live at the house and also raising public awareness of the effects of modern slavery. It’s great to feel a part of this really worthy cause and it’s great to feel part of such a caring team.
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