Survivors of Nygard may feel empowered sharing their stories, but it comes with riskUnderstanding how to interview trauma survivors without causing harm was key to making this documentary series

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Understanding how to interview trauma survivors without causing harm was key to making this documentary series

Deborah Wainwright(Evil By Design)

Thursdays at 9 pm on CBC and CBC Gem.

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. 

It's all crumbling now. Rebar pokes out of the water. Sand and dust cover the walkways and vehicles. Run-down fake Mayan ruins and shards from broken stone pathways can be seen in every direction. The decay is a visual and literal representation of the disintegrating power of disgraced Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard. But while his empire may be in ruins, the pain has not diminished for those who call themselves survivors of his alleged brutality. 

Here in the Bahamas, at the end of one of the palm-lined peninsulas, we are told that decades of assault, imprisonment and sex trafficking took place. We have come to gather the stories of Nygard's accusers for our documentary series, Evil by Design: Surviving Nygard,among them, women who have kept quiet for decades out of fear, shame and guilt. Their silence should come as no surprise, considering the judgment that befalls survivors in general, and the wealth and power of the man they have accused. But these women were finally feeling empowered to have a voice and share their experiences. 

Peter Nygard is one of the most recently accused in a long line of alleged and convicted sexual predators that has surfaced amidst the #MeToo movement. (He is also, quite possibly, the most prolific.) The revelations about Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly, Larry Nassar and Bill Cosby, among others, has meant a flood of trauma survivors from all walks of life finally feel they can speak up and speak out. 

These stories have been so prolific that it's clear that if we're not survivors ourselves, we likely know someone who is. And we, as documentary filmmakers, who are granted the trust of survivors and aim to make their stories known to the world, bear a responsibility beyond merely getting the facts straight.

Because coming forward means taking a risk. It can take a mental and emotional toll — reigniting the trauma and renewing the fear.

Justice for assault survivors is part of healing | Evil By Design: Surviving Nygard

15 days agoDuration 0:51"All I want to do is stop him...that no one is ever hurt by this person again."'We think there are thousands of victims': Is Peter Nygard the worst of the worst?

(editor：)