Photographer Melania Messina is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘”Domestic violence “Glimpses of broken silence”. To see Melania’s body of work, click on any photograph.
Photo inspired by the emotions and words of A., a woman abused when she was a child first and then victim of violence by the husband. Above the translation of her handwriting: “Remember when you were a little girl during those years embroidered with old stitches of offense and stretched by expanded melancholy. Remember when you were a little girl, two hands touching your body in the darkness, you are silent and you don’t understand, you watch the darkness, the endless darkness and you are silent and you feel ashamed.”
Photo inspired by words and emotions of F. victim of stalking and severe injures by her former partner. Above the translations of her written words and emotions: “Everything is scary, you are faithless and it’s like watching the world through a porthole feeling the death within yourself, because you know that ..who changed your life…”
Photo inspired by the emotions and words of A, a woman abused when she was a child first and then victim of violence by the husband. Above the translation of her handwriting: “You move slowly amongst the rush of many, slowly like fear..Slowly, you remember your hands at that time, hands unable to punch who made you screaming, unable to punch who never let you arise, who made you shiver. Your hands at that time which don’t have weapons to take, only crutches to grasp”.
Photo inspired by the handwriting and the emotions of R., a woman victim of violence by her husband, above the translation of her words:”..And I felt like numbed..no pain, refusing to accept that what was happening inside myself….”
This project explores domestic violence through the absence of the body and the presence of voice. Rather than representing physical trauma, the work gives form to the invisible emotional landscape of women who have experienced abuse, shifting the focus from the spectacle of violence to its silent, enduring consequences. The women involved were invited to write their thoughts and emotions during the period in which the violence occurred. These handwritten texts—fragile, fragmented, deeply personal—become the primary subjects of the images. Each handwriting functions as an intimate portrait, a trace of existence that resists erasure. The act of writing is itself a gesture of reclaiming authorship over one’s own narrative. The sheets of paper are photographed within domestic and everyday spaces: interiors marked by routine, familiarity, and apparent normality. These locations embody the sites where daily life unfolds and where the banality of evil operates—quietly, repetitively, and often invisibly. By inserting the women’s words into these ordinary environments, the images expose the tension between the reassuring surface of domestic space and the violence it can conceal. Photography is used as a relational and interpretative language rather than a documentary one. The subjects actively participate in the construction of the images, choosing how to be represented and refusing the further violence of the beaten-face portrait. This decision challenges dominant visual narratives surrounding domestic abuse, which often reinforce humiliation and shame—emotions that are already central to the victims’ experience. Developed in collaboration with seven women survivors of domestic violence, the project unfolds as a shared process rather than a linear testimony. The resulting visual sequence traces a fragile movement: from violence, to the emergence of awareness, and, in some cases, to the decision to seek help. This trajectory can be read as an attempt to move beyond the fixed identity of the victim, toward a space where healing becomes possible and the wounds of the soul may begin to be rearticulated.
Photo inspired by words and emotions of G. victim of domestic violence by the husband. Above the translation of her words: “I need to write to keep a grip on reality, I can’t understand what is happening, is it real? Maybe I could avoid to make him angry, I should have done what he asked, after all it was only about silly things… Yes I could have thought of that before! …But how is possible?… I am so confused, and I know I’m deeply unhappy.”
Photo inspired by the handwriting and the emotions of R., a woman victim of violence by her husband, above the translation of her words:”..When I realized that I had to face this pain, I also realized that home was my pain, and then I teared down….”
Photo inspired by words and emotions of F. victim of stalking and severe injures by her partner. Above the translations of her written words and emotions: “..So I just can say that I have known pain, bound to me with his wooden fingers. It took everything away from me leaving me thinking that the death of the body would be less painful than the death of the soul and heart..”
Photo inspired by words and emotions of F. victim of stalking and severe injures by her former partner. Above the translations of her written words and emotions: “Fear, panic, anguish, concern, terror, psychological violence and the awareness that someone is going to kill you within a few seconds..”
Palermo: Homage to the women who died because of domestic violence.
Melania Messina (b. 1959, Palermo, Italy) is a Sicilian-based photographer whose work over the past thirty years has focused on communities on the margins, with particular attention to gender and social justice. She documents women’s experiences, migration, social inequality, and collective memory, approaching her subjects as active participants in shaping their own narratives. After brief studies in Indonesia documenting Javanese spiritual practices, Messina returned to Sicily, where she began a long-term project on women resisting organized crime (1992), highlighting courage, resilience, and civic engagement. Her work also engages historical struggles, including postwar peasant movements challenging landowners and the mafia that protected their interests (2006). Since settling in Palermo in 1992, she has developed long-term projects including portraits of female migration (Donne di Terre Lontane, 2000), the Zen neighborhood project (2005–2007) addressing urban hardship, and Silenzi interrotti (2015), on domestic violence. Her 30-year study of ritual and collective memory culminated in Rosalia, Santa Patrona e Dea Madre dei Popoli Uniti (2025). Messina’s photography invites viewers from diverse contexts to engage with Sicilian social realities, fostering empathy and understanding while honoring the dignity of her subjects. Rooted in sustained engagement and ethical practice, her work bridges distance between subject and audience, producing images that are both visually compelling and socially attentive.
All images (Palermo, Italy) and text © Melania Messina
See also:
Rosalia, Santa Patrona e Dea Madre dei Popoli Uniti
By Melania Messina
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Beautiful!!!
Victims of domestic violence do need safe ways to be heard.
“Through the absence of the body and the presence of the voice” captures that power, letting a survivor speak without exposing identity.
Anonymized testimonies, audio with altered voice, or written accounts protect privacy while breaking the silence that shelters abuse.