Rafael Viola: His Shocking Story About Children’s Homes That Will Leave You Speechless

Trigger Alert: This episode contains content of a sensitive nature around child abuse, violence, along with sexual references that may cause distress. This episode is not suitable for children, listener and viewer discretion is strongly advised. 

In this gut-wrenching episode, we sit down with Rafael Viola, who tells his account of the abuse and the trauma he suffered as a child and also in his later years. 

Born in Glasgow in 1959, Rafael’s early years were shaped by poverty, and his life took a tragic turn when he was given a discredited label of “severely retarded”. This led to his placement in a series of children's homes. The issues that he faced left him with emotional and mental scars that still haunt him today.
 
Rafael states that he was one of many children affected by these horrors. He tells us in this episode that despite countless allegations and investigations, authorities failed to act. 

Now in his 70s and in poor health, Rafael has become a voice for justice. He has given account of his experience and is continuing to fight for accountability and survival rights.

In his book Stealing Lives, Rafael shares his painful journey in the pursuit of raising awareness and seeking justice.