The Secret We Share

“The Secret We Share” is a documentary about a small-town people who suddenly face pedophilia. The pedophile was able to stifle the children, their parents and the entire community with silence, shame and guilt. Already in 1993, the first reports about suspicions of pedophilia were made to the authorities. Yet it took more than five years before a 46-year-old verbally impaired, physically handicapped man, long thought to be a good friend of the local children, was sentenced. The tragedy and its aftermath are related by the mothers of the young boys, their teachers, and a classmate. There are also interviews with the pedophile himself, his acquaintances, social service authorities and a neighbor. “The Secret We Share” is one of the first documentaries in Finland with special Internet pages. At www.klak.com/salaisuus a very vivid discussion has been going on. Among the participants are victims of sexual offenses, parents and social workers.