Educating and Engaging Through Stories
Over the years, Inter Pares has sought out opportunities to bring to Canada the stories and experiences of our colleagues who work on the issue of sexual violence against women in armed conflict. We have brought colleagues to participate in community dialogues with local women’s shelters and service providers, and to meet with policy makers and academics working on sexual violence in Canada. Recently, we produced a documentary film, entitled Rising from the Ashes, about the courageous struggles of women in Peru seeking justice for crimes of violence, including sexual violence, committed against them during the civil war. The film, available in English, French, and Spanish, traces the lives of five women and their organizations as they break the silence and challenge impunity around horrific violations of human rights, searching for healing, justice, and truth.
Rising from the Ashes was accepted at the One World Film Festival in October 2009 in Ottawa. For the occasion, we were fortunate to have Diana Ávila visiting from Peru. Diana knows Inter Pares well. She was Executive Director of Project Counselling Service (PCS) – Inter Pares’ primary counterpart in Latin America – for 14 years, and played a central role in building the work of PCS and Inter Pares across Latin America on sexual violence. At the film festival, more than 150 people had the opportunity to watch the film and participate in a discussion afterwards with Diana, Inter Pares staff Nadia Faucher, and film director Steven Hunt. Participants asked questions about the making of the film, the current political context in Peru, and progress on key legal cases involving sexual violence making their way through the Peruvian courts.
The film has provided an opportunity to engage with our supporters across the country. Inter Pares staff member Samantha McGavin facilitated a screening in Nanaimo, BC, in September 2009, in collaboration with local supporters and Haven House, a women’s shelter. After the screening we had a rich discussion about the challenges shared by women survivors of violence around the world and in Canada, and learned more about the local context in Nanaimo as well as Peru. Educational tools such as this film allow Canadians to become more knowledgeable and involved on issues of social justice in their own communities and at the global level.
We invite you to take advantage of Rising from the Ashes and organize screenings in your home or community. For more information and assistance on how to do this, please click here.
| Reviewed February 02, 2010 |  |
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