Rape and mutilation are commonplace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country ravaged by decades of war. Documentary filmmaker Louise Leroux followed two Quebec police officers into the heart of the storm where they raise public awareness of sexual violence and participate in the training of police officers.
Women’s bodies “are a battlefield” in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where rape has been used as a weapon of war and even genocide. This observation is made from the first minutes of Peacekeepersdocumentary by Louise Leroux which focuses on the role of Quebec police officers in the fight against sexual violence in this Central African country which has been both pillaged and violated for decades.
And it continues…
This seemingly inextricable conflict has not been in the headlines for a long time, but on the ground, the horrors continue. During filming, a mass grave was found where around fifty people – women and children – were buried. Rape remains endemic both in the camps for displaced people and in the villages in the east of the country which are swarming with militiamen from neighboring Uganda or Rwanda.
Here, women are not only victims of war, but also of poverty: it is not uncommon for the family of a raped woman or child to request financial compensation for any reparations.
Corruption and cronyism make it difficult to arrest and bring the executioners to justice. Police authorities have neither the resources nor the training to protect victims.
Turning the tide
It is in this context that Mélanie Beaulac and Martine Le Royer work, two Quebec police officers attached to a UN mission whose aim is to turn the tide, that is to say, to raise public awareness and train police officers. The world of diplomacy places a lot of hope on these women whom the director calls “Blue Helmets” since they have an easier time than men in forging links with their peers from local communities.
This is obvious: here too, women play crucial roles in squads specializing in sex crimes. It is logical that the same is true in the DRC, where sexual crimes are often committed by men in uniform, militiamen or sometimes even members of the police…
Peacekeepers recounts horrific attacks. And show a little. Louise Leroux’s film also highlights the courage it takes to stand in the middle of a powder magazine, when you yourself can become the victim of the crime you seek to fight. It also shows the great humanity of people who, sometimes without other means than their good will, try to do what is just and good.
This Monday, 8 p.m., on Télé-Québec
Two feminine suggestions
Scholarly women
PHOTO ARCHIVES THE PRESS
Author and filmmaker Léa Clermont-Dion
Filmmaker and author Léa Clermont-Dion is at the helm of Scholarly women, a show in which she talks with researchers whose work touches on current issues. It will be about obstetric violence with Sylvie Lévesque, the law regarding sexual assault with Julie Desrosiers, the integration of newcomers with Cécile Rousseau, access to abortion with Nesrine Bessaïh and the impact of climate change. on the Inuit with Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk.
Scholarly women is broadcast on Savoir Média from March 8, International Women’s Day
The gray revolution, one strand at a time
IMAGE FROM THE MOVIE THE GRAY REVOLUTION, ONE STREAM AT A TIME
Geneviève Langlois decided a few years ago to go against the grain and embrace her white hair.
Showing off without dyeing your graying hair is not insignificant for a woman in our society, which values youth or at least the appearance of youth. A few years ago, the actress Geneviève Langlois made this choice and she recounts the thoughts that motivated her decision in The gray revolution, one strand at a time. The documentary sometimes knocks open doors, but also addresses aspects often left aside such as the toxicity of hair dyes and their cost. It of course focuses on the pressures placed on aging women and also the feeling of liberation felt by those who were tired of not accepting their age.
Saturday, 10:30 p.m., at Doc Humanité, on ICI Télé