Skriti Escape Room (2018)

In Slovenia every fifth girl and every seventh boy are victims of sexual abuse, with as much as 85 % of all sexual abuse taking place within immediate and extended family. In EU, less than a third of all child sexual abuse incidents are reported, while the number of reported child sexual abuse crimes has even decreased in Slovenia over the past few years. This issue is additionally amplified by the low level of awareness of the general public and the lack of knowledge of the facts, as well as this being a taboo topic. Stigma, shame, feelings of guilt and fear are driving families and others in the know away from solution. To make a step forward we need to face the wider Slovenian public with the harsh reality of child sexual abuses in Slovenia and then encourage and mobilize them to take responsible actions. To avoid the taboo we used the analogy of the escape room. Sexually abused children are held captive behind the four walls of an abusive environment, from where they cannot escape. Only adults can help them escape. This led to setting up The Real-Life Escape Room at a real-life crime scene, where Amadea suffered sexual abuse as a child, for many years from her grandfather. With Amadea as an escape room guide it was based on her real story and on the only one clue. After Amadea's revelation the only clue led visitors to report abuse to the local organisation. Authentic emotional documentary video was used for raising awareness and encouraging reports. The video premiered at the largest media event in Slovenia, where key influencers and others watched it one by one in the company of Amadea, without them knowing who she was.