23 May to 2 November 2025
IWM London
Adults
Free event
By increasing public awareness and understanding, Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict aims to empower survivors, inform visitors, and contribute towards meaningful change in the fight against this pervasive issue.
Wherever conflict erupts, sexual violence is present.
—Sara Bowcutt, Women for Women International.
Unsilenced considers the contexts in which sexual violence occurs in conflict, exploring how propaganda shapes perceptions of gender and power to shine a light on this often-silenced issue.
The exhibition tells the untold stories of child evacuees, victims of trafficking, prisoners of war, and survivors from the First World War to present-day conflicts, and highlights the ongoing efforts of those fighting for justice and working to prevent conflict-related sexual violence.
This exhibition includes cases of rape, sexual humiliation, torture and child abuse in conflict. IWM advises that this exhibition is only suitable for those aged 16 or over. A list of external support networks can be found at the end of the exhibition.
What to expect
Exhibits exploring the sexual slavery of both the ‘Comfort Women Corps’ in the Second World War and of Yazidi women and girls by ISIS in 2014 will examine state-sanctioned sexual violence.
Case studies of sexual abuse against evacuees during the Second World War and the violence of the Soviet Red Army in Berlin in 1945 will highlight how the power imbalances that conflict creates can lead to unchecked abuses. Unsilenced will also explore how sexual humiliation can be used to assert dominance and break morale.
We recommend allowing around 60 minutes to visit this exhibition. You may also like to explore permanent galleries and displays at IWM London as part of your trip.
Large print guides will be available at the exhibition.
Header Image: © Kim Changsu, Mansudae Art Studio, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (Art.IWM PST 9379). Poster for the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal 2000, Tokyo, Japan.