As part of the BBC 100 Women strand of programming, a new 25-minute documentary, Out of the Shadows: Born from Rape has been made available on BBC iPlayer. It follows Sammy Woodhouse on a journey of discovery to meet other women, like her, who have children born from abuse and rape.

Sammy travels to Rwanda to meet Elisabeth and Clare who are two of the participants in our Foundation Rwanda programme to learn from the support that they have received from amongst others, SURF and Foundation Rwanda Senior Key Worker, Emilienne Kambibi.

It is a very powerful film and can be viewed here. The synopsis reads:

What happens when your child was born out of the worst thing that ever happened to you? And how does it feel to discover you were born that way?

Rotherham grooming victim Sammy Woodhouse had her son after she was abused as a child. She loves him more than anything, but the truth of how he was conceived is a shadow that hangs over them.

Sammy knows her son has questions – was he wanted? Was he loved? She wants to help him, but she doesn’t know how. And she has buried her own feelings because they are just too painful to deal with. They both feel so alone, but Sammy knows they can’t be the only ones going through this.

Neil can barely look in the mirror, terrified the face of their mother’s attacker is looking back. ‘Eva’ wants her father to pay for what he has done. Mandy cares for her son, but in truth, she says, he was ‘conceived by a monster’.

Determined to break the taboo and confront the questions no one dares to ask, Sammy goes on a journey to meet other mothers and children born from rape. All over the country, she discovers remarkable people with heartbreaking stories of love and pain that have stayed hidden for decades. Together, they are ready to throw off the shame and stigma of being born from rape, and finally be heard.

As long as there continues to be the need, we will continue to support more women like Elisabeth and Clare through our partnership with Foundation Rwanda.