Their abusers were family members, loved
ones, clergy and often esteemed members of the
community. over the course of eight years, I built
close relationships with the survivors featured
in this book. I interviewed them and took a series
of portraits. They shared their private world
with me, recalling the traumatic experiences they
endured years ago – I photographed those places
and the ‘triggers’, capturing their memories. In
many cases, survivors invited me to photograph
the actual places where the abuse occurred; at other
times I photographed elements that triggered their
memories, such as an object or a place that related
to their childhood trauma.
The circumstances of the abuse vary and the
survivors are of different ages and come from many
countries, including spain – my homeland. Child
sex abuse is a crime without borders. A child’s socioeconomic
status or cultural background offers no
protection. even though this abuse is so widespread,
talking about it remains a taboo in Western societies.
There is a great deal of shame surrounding the
sexual abuse of children and victims are silenced
and often re-traumatized.
The survivors granted me their unconditional
trust as we journeyed through painful memories,
often opening up old wounds. What I realized was
that, even though separated by thousands of miles,
survivors across the world are essentially one family
– the patterns, their stories are eerily similar – as
is their exemplary resilience in overcoming their
trauma and rebuilding their lives.