The Second Victim: Daisy's Story

In this Audible Original Podcast, we hear the story of Daisy - a black baby adopted into a white family in rural 1970’s England. Alienation and loss of identity dominate her childhood.

After discovering she was conceived through child rape, she begins a lifelong mission to find and prosecute her birth father using the only irrefutable evidence left. Her own DNA.

But justice isn’t just for her birth mother. She too, is a victim, and when the world around her doesn’t agree, she is forced to reckon with external and internal powers out of her control.

Content Warning: There are references to child sexual abuse, suicide and there is also strong language and racist language at times. Listener discretion is advised.

Episode 1: Born a Crime Scene

Daisy struggles with the glare of attention she receives as the only black child in her community. Then she discovers the truth behind her adoption.

Episode 2: The Missing Mother

Amid an exciting new life in London, Daisy begins to search for her birth mother, Grace. If she can just meet her, maybe Daisy will be able to make more sense of who she is in the world.

Episode 3: The Missing Father

After a difficult reunion, Grace and Daisy try to get to know each other, but it’s harder than expected. Feeling she has nothing left to lose, Daisy decides to find out once and for all who her birth father is.

Episode 4: The Watershed

The relationship between Grace and Daisy comes to a gut-wrenching halt and Daisy is confronted with some destabilising realisations about her adoption. Then a national scandal drives her on a furious mission to seek justice for her birth father’s crime.

Episode 5: Vexatious

Daisy turns detective as she tries to uncover her birth father’s identity. Armed with a mountain of new evidence, she’s confident of bringing a prosecution against him.

Episode 6: The Power of Rage

Daisy reaches breaking point. Just as she feels she’s exhausted all options, a television interview turns the tables.

Episode 7: I Am Not Your Shame

Justice is served, but Daisy’s wounds still go deep. She diverts her anger into a campaign to change the law. And she begins to address her own trauma.

Episode 8: Roots

Daisy is coming to terms with the true impact of being trans-racially adopted. Having never had a sense of her black Jamaican identity, she makes a journey to uncover her ancestry which will become one of the most transformative experiences of her life.

For further listening and reading on the topics covered in this series, Daisy recommends the following podcasts and books – all available on Audible or Amazon.

PODCASTS

DAWTA The podcast

Adoptees On

Adoptees Crossing Lines

BOOKS

You Don’t Look Adopted by Anne Heffron

You Are Your Best Thing by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown

Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir by Rebecca Carroll

Child Sexual Abuse In Black And Minoritised Communities edited by Aisha K.Gill & Hannah Begum

If you have been affected by any of the themes in the series please find below details of organisations that can help you:

www.pac-uk.org/our-services/adopted-adults

adultadoptee.org.uk

www.thedunbarproject.org.uk

howtobeadopted.com

www.familyconnect.org.uk

listenupresearch.org

www.womensaid.org.uk

rapecrisis.org.uk

www.blackmindsmatteruk.com

Samaritans - call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie (or the Samaritans Welsh Language Line is 0808 164 0123)

National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK - 0800 689 5652

SANEline - If you're experiencing a mental health problem call 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).

Other international crisis helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org

Producer: Raw TV

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.