More than 80,000 women and girls were raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the war that raged there in the late 1990’s. A taboo subject in the Congo, as in many countries, victims were often shunned by their families and communities. As a result, rape has now become not just a weapon of war but a part of the culture in which young men and women are raised.

Survivors tell of the brutality they experienced, husbands talk of the pressures that led them to abandon their wives. A father explains why he has given up on his daughter’s future. Soldiers and policemen share their often shocking views about why rape continues to flourish in the Congo, despite the war having officially ended in 2003.

Fighting the Silence tells the story of ordinary people offering a glimmer of hope in their struggle to change society.

Via LIDF, showing at the Barbican. Trailer. Documentary url.

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Postscript: I was in 2 minds about putting up this post…we all know too well that there are already enough negative representations of the African continent in mainstream media, to which I need not (and want not) contribute to. What’s caught my attention with this docu-film and the desire to share it is the humanistic context and it’s role in giving a voice to women who I imagine just want to be heard and their plight acknowledged.