Rape in a Lawless Land
Leah Chishugi grew up in a village just inside the eastern Congolese border. She narrowly survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide and fled to Britain as a refugee.
Now a nurse living in London, Chishugi traveled to eastern Congo in 2008 to bring food and medicine to the villagers there. Appalled by what she discovered on her return, she began to film interviews with rape survivors in the villages.
Over the course of two months Chishugi interviewed and documented the cases of over 400 rape victims ranging in age from one to 90. Almost every woman she met had been raped, some countless times, and most of the husbands and young men have been killed. Many of the children were conceived through rape.
This chilling short documentary by The Guardian follows Chishugi as she meets with village women offering her support and sympathy. Many have told her that she is the first person to reach them from the outside world.
This story was nominated for a 2009 Webby Award for Online Film & Video, Documentary, Individual Episode.
CHANNEL: The Guardian
Length: 8:13
Producer: Michael Tait
Director: John Domokos
Editor: Christian Bennett
Correspondent: Leah Chishugi
VIEW: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2008/dec/05/congo
SEE ALSO:
“Aged one to 90, the victims of hidden war against women”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/05/congo-rape-testimonies-walungu
“Inside the villages where every woman is victim of hidden war”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/05/congo-women
“Horror revisited for genocide survivor”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/05/rwanda-congo-genocide-rape
“Fighting for the peace”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/05/warcrimes-gender
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