In recent years considerable attention has been paid to the subject of abuse in childhood. Less attention has been paid to what happens to the vast number of women and men who have reached adulthood with this experience haunting them. Moira Walker overviews the experience and its implications, dealing with physical, sexual and psychological abuse. An essential part of the content is based on interviews with survivors of child abuse, voicing their views on the effects of the experience and the effectiveness of the help offered. At the same time "Surviving Secrets" seeks to understand the context in which abuse takes place, the society which itself contains and sustains abuse at various levels. It is an account of the experience and effects of childhood abuse and a handbook for those in the caring professions, in voluntary organizations and elsewhere who are helping survivors of abuse.