The silent scream
Description
This unusually sensitive film is a powerful reminder that adults must take children seriously if they hint that something is amiss at home. Abusers often silence children by telling them they will not be believed or threatening them with dire consequences. This was the case with the Kavanagh sisters whose hesitant attempts to seek help fell on deaf ears. It still amazes the sisters today that in their crowded household of ten children their father found private corners to sexually molest them. Even their mother had many blind spots concerning her husband, not wishing to look too closely. These painful stories of repeated abuse are interwoven with poems and drawings of other sexually abused children. As grown women the Kavanagh s found the strength to come forward and prosecute their father in a court of law. They cannot forgive the man who took their childhood away from them, but at least the healing process has begun.
Runtime
29 min
Subjects
- Adult child sexual abuse victims (7)
- Sexual abuse victims (15)
- Sexually abused children (6)
- Child sexual abuse (40)
Genre
Date of Publication
1994
Database
Alexander Street
Direct Link
Similar Films
While No One is Watching
The Child Welfare System. In the Child's Best Interest
Power to Abuse
The Catholic Church Under Fire
On the record
Testifying about child sexual abuse. A courtroom guide
The Nitinaht chronicles
Why god, why me?
Stopping traffic. The movement to end sex-trafficking
Recognizing child abuse. Sexual abuse
The Sexual Exploitation of Children. Taking a Stand
Fall and Rise of Theo Fleury
Healing from childhood sexual abuse
Mondomanila
Generations of violence