I first met Vikki's mother Carol at a shelter in Pittsburg in 1982. Her body was battered from head to toe. Vikki, who is deaf, was not only a silent witness, but became a victim of the same abuser. In those days, I was interested in the mother's stories and focused mainly on Carol. There was very little documentation on the lives of battered women. I wanted to understand their pain and how they came to be trapped. The children were off limits as minors and the mother's always spoke for their children. The greatest misconception was that the children of battered women would be okay if the mother got away from the abuse. Like most photojournalists, I lost touch with my subjects. However, 22 years later, Vikki was the first child from the book to find me. She was still in a lot of pain and expressed that I had not understood anything from her point of view. Vikki made me aware of how important it is to listen to and respect the children. Vikki's story will be told in the upcoming documentary "Living Without
The Enemy."
The Enemy."
