The Wall of Silence

Following the enormous success of the launch of the WOS in January 2016 and the equally successful exhibition held at City Hall London in early February, the Southmead Project has been inundated with messages from well-wishers across all forms of the media. In so many ways it is extremely difficult and contradictory to use such words as success given the context and the content on the wall: the heart-breaking tragedy that is there, right in front of our eyes, for all to see. But success in this instance stands for giving power to victims and survivors, providing them with the rightful opportunity to have a voice and to make that voice heard. Success means making others aware of just what it means to face abuse, what it really means to battle to survive that abuse, to make it through and to reclaim our lives. So tragically, the wall also displays the pain, the anguish of so many: the ultimate death of so many innocents.

 Yet within the wall lies hope too, within the wall lies courage, tenacity, determination, the will to go on and on until we cannot go any further, and then to go twice as far until we reach our goal – freedom, emancipation. The many comments left in the message books provided at each exhibition are so poignant, heartfelt and touching and the following examples help sum up what the exhibition has meant to many, many people:

"One of the most powerful exhibitions I've ever seen, a stunning tribute to those who survived and those who didn't”  

“Amazing brave and candid stories with some messages of hope - let's hope we all see this. Thank you"

 " An extremely powerful and emotionally charged display of personal images and words which tugs at the heart of the issues. Each must play our part in ending the abuse of our children" 

Without doubt these two exhibitions exceeded what was hoped for and are likely to continue to do so. Already confirmed are 3 further venues: Dorset, Wales and with the next event being held at the Avon and Somerset Police Headquarters in North Somerset in May we expect this will no doubt be a continuation of what has gone before. The very fact that the police themselves have requested the exhibition be displayed right in the heart of their operations speaks volumes for their genuine recognition and acknowledgement of what child abuse means: its impact, the awful nightmare of complex post-traumatic stress disorder which follows and the very battle to survive.

The Police and in particular Mike Steven, are to be applauded for their efforts in helping charities like the Southmead Project dismantle an existing wall of silence that guarantees the status quo remains where child abuse is concerned. They have allowed us to once again illustrate in such dramatic fashion, what child abuse really is and what child abuse really means.

Dr Mike Peirce MBE

March 2016