University accused of 'silencing victims' as abuse exhibition moved

The exhibition includes portraits, taken by Mr Cooper, as well as artwork by created survivors, ranging from ages four to their seventies, many of whom have been unable to tell their story until now.

The exhibition largely opened to a positive reaction, although a small number of complaints were made.

A decision was then made to move the exhibit to a side studio and apply a 'trigger warning', leaving organisers frustrated and disappointed.

However, Glasgow University it their decision has been informed by a ‘trauma-informed approach’ and that the exhibition is still accessible to the public.

Carron Carson, a psychotherapist who has worked with trauma throughout her career and was involved in creating the exhibition, expressed her surprise at the move, given that the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Lee Cooper, Carron Carson and Dr Douglas Marks (Image: Clare Henry)

“It's not to horrify people," she said, "it's somebody's truth, it's somebody's experience, and that's just part of life. This is their truth.

"The whole point was to show that adult survivors don't just get to where they are and are all of a sudden functioning. Behind it all is real struggle.

“They're carrying a lot of pain by themselves because they don't disclose it. They don't tell anybody. They are silenced and there's horror in there. There's real pain.

“Some of the artwork is by children who are quite young and it's a storyboard, if you like, a narrative. Some of it is images, some of a story, other parts are actual paintings.

"Art exhibitions are provocative," she continued. "That's the whole point of them. You're meant to feel something when you go in and see it.

“Of course this is horrific but it's like, no, this does happen and it’s really common and children carry this secret by themselves. And this is part of the process.

“When they go for therapy, they don't sit and talk about nice things. They actually touch their pain in drawings."

Ms Carson added: “When it's a grown-up who has created work like this people think, ‘oh that's great, you're a grown-up, you're owning it’.

“When they realise that this is children, they don’t know what to do.

“Don't push it away in a corner. If a grown-up can't contain the horror of what's happened, how do you think that child's going to manage it?

“If they hold on to it, that's exactly what child abusers want. That's part of the grooming process. It's a tool. Child abusers put a straitjacket on children to silence them and society buckles it.”

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Mr Cooper has also written a letter to the university criticising the decision and demanding it is moved back.

In it, he says: “This exhibition is crucial in raising awareness, educating the public, and creating a safe, empathetic space for survivors and allies to engage with these critical issues” and added “by moving the exhibition, the University of Glasgow mirrors society’s tendency to push uncomfortable truths aside—out of sight, out of mind.”

The letter also states that many of the contributors are “upset, distressed, angry and silenced” by the decision while accusing the university of hypocrisy, that Victorious Voices forms part of a broader mental health arts festival following the theme “InVisible”.

One ofthe pieces of artwork (Image: Victorious Voices)

The University has rejected the idea they are silencing victims and say their decision is out of a ‘duty of care’ to staff.

A University spokesperson said: “The University does not accept the suggestion that it is silencing the victims of child sexual abuse.

“After concerns were raised about the content of the exhibition, a decision was made to move the displays into a studio which is still accessible to the public within the ARC building. 

“There is clear messaging at the door which informs people to be aware there are images and descriptions of child abuse in the exhibition which some people may find distressing. 

“The University has taken a trauma-informed approach to the concerns raised out of a duty of care to our staff and to protect the welfare of all members of the community.”