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Very few survivors of violence ever tell anyone about their experiences. A new package of testimonial videos produced by WHO and the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children features the stories of five individuals from around the world – Ruby, Florence, Jeremy, Stewart and Eugenie – who have courageously shared their personal accounts of violence, how it affected them, and which interventions proved to be most beneficial.
“Violence often occurs behind closed doors, and many survivors of violence suffer for years in silence,” notes Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department of Social Determinants of Health. “All survivors of violence should be given the encouragement and support they need to break the silence and access services to help them heal physically and mentally and achieve justice.”
Collectively, these testimonials show that violence against children is a universal issue, cutting across socio-economic and cultural contexts. While the stories share common features, they also place a spotlight on the different types of violence and the various settings in which violence occurs. A thread running through each testimony is a call to speak up and break the silence on violence.
The 13-minute documentary is the centerpiece of the package of videos, while shorter versions, including those proposed for use on social media, point people towards the full documentary. A toolkit offers ways for the package of videos to be used to build capacities to prevent and respond to violence, enhance media reporting and facilitate advocacy to end violence against children.
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