Beyond Testimonies: Guidelines on ‘using’ Stories

This guideline has been created with the intention that it would encourage those working with vulnerable and exploited people to think through how they ‘use’ people’s stories and how they communicate these stories to others in an ethical and sensitive manner, always portraying the people they work with in a dignified and respectful manner.
The organisations and institutions that work with the exploited and the vulnerable can often act as a window between ‘mainstream’ society and the people they work with.
Windows can often distort reality or create a different picture depending on what glass is put into the frame, how the structure of the window is created and what the window chooses to point towards. Similarly organisations can have a similar influence and consequently need to take the time to consider carefully the people they represent, their feelings and emotions about a situation, and the impact of how the organisation chooses to represent this group of people.
Beyond Testimonies Guidelines on ‘using’ stories