ABSTRACT
An abused child assumes a certain degree of omniscience and omnipotence in parents, and so assumes that her mother must know of the abuse and be able to protect her against it. Who the "protector" is seen to be will depend on the circumstances of the abuse. The survivor may herself have been in a protective relationship towards her mother, whose role in the family may have been seen as one of powerlessness. The burning question of the "protecting parent's" knowledge or ignorance in relation to their child's abuse is likely to form a major theme for many survivors, and can be explored in a variety of ways. When the mother is seen to have been a victim herself, helpless to protect her children, the survivor has to find a way of understanding this that will enable her to be different herself, without necessarily abandoning her relationship with her mother altogether.
