Domestic violence survivors have united to release a song about the journey from leaving an abusive home to starting a new life.
Empty Pages is composed by a teenage survivor who witnessed domestic violence as a child.
It is a result of a performing arts project by SOAR, a service offered by St Jeanne Antide Foundation that supports women and child survivors of domestic violence.
“The song is a provocative monologue on our journey of despair, hope, strength and resilience: a swan-song at the end of a life of violence and the start of a clean, fresh page,” manager of the service and survivor Elaine Compagno said.
The idea was born last year, when 13 women met to discuss and express their experience through performing arts.
Compagno said the project was a healing exercise.
“A survivor loses some of her identity over the years because she’s not allowed to simply be herself under the perpetrator’s control,” she said.
“Psychological violence forces a survivor into a dark place of self-doubt and brings out feelings of worthlessness and fear, even if they were confident and healthy people before they met their abusive partners.”
The participants decided to raise awareness of mental taunting, rather than the physical violence that usually take precedence in similar campaigns.
The release of the song coincides with the outbreak of coronavirus, as more people stay at home to prevent the spread. For survivors, harassment continues after they leave the relationship.
“Rightly so, as more and more people quarantine because of the COVID-19 outbreak, several are concerned about a spike in domestic violence because victims cannot leave the house to seek help.
“However, the gradual lockdown also has a negative impact on women and child survivors. While harassment continues through social media, lack of face-to-face contact with those who are supporting them and solitude exacerbates mental issues,” Compagno said.
This is especially true for women who have managed to start integrating back into society, found a place of their own and secured a job. The outbreak has, once again, turned their lives upside down, Compagno said.
She added that SOAR will remain by the side of survivors, virtually, throughout but stressed that the service was not aimed at those currently living in a violent relationship.
Many times, victims have only once chance at calling for help, and they should dial the emergency numbers. SOAR can only direct them to emergency services.
Empty Pages, the culmination of the Meraki Collective project, was written and composed by Layla, produced and recorded at Wicked and Loud Studios, and includes the participation of actor Kim Dalli. It is supported by the President’s Award for Creativity, Arts Council Malta and MPS Ltd. The performing arts sessions were facilitated by tutor Pamela Gauna at Mill Art Habitat.