Hungarian filmmaker Arpad Bogdan sets out to discover what's behind the…
Life 8 - Grace Under Fire
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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North Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been described as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. Since 1998, as the Congolese army has battled against a number of rebel militias, 5.5 million civilians have been killed and more than half a million women raped in the country. It is estimated that the conflict is now bloodier than any since World War II. We follow Dr. Grace Kodindo - known across the world for her fight to stop women dying in pregnancy and childbirth - as she tries to find out what help is available for the people affected by the fighting. Do the women here have access to the emergency services, health care and specialist drugs they need? Grace talks to doctors, nurses and ordinary people to find answers.
'Grace Under Fire is a stunning film, mixing the beauty of the Congo with the tragedy of war. Dr. Grace Kodindo is our experienced guide to the many reproductive health problems faced by women in conflict zones. But even Dr. Kodindo is moved and shocked by what she sees and hears from the women, men and health workers. This half hour film is a condensed course in reproductive health and rights, and makes a convincing case for improving services for women in such situations.' Dr. Deborah Maine, Professor of International Health, Boston University
'[Grace under Fire] challenges us to think about global healthcare disparities and how to address them. One argument of Dr. Kodindo is that certain healthcare interventions, such as delivery kits, are low-cost but highly effective in saving lives. Focusing on low-cost simple medical technology may be the answer to some global health threats.' Dr. Alexander Rodlach, Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology, Creighton University
'Grace Under Fire is a compassionate expose...Dr. Kodindo's empathy and passion parallel the pressing need for women's protection from sexual violence and access to adequate health care in this compelling documentary. This film would be a welcome addition to any Women's/Gender Studies, African Studies, or Black Diaspora Studies curriculum. It highlights not only the impact of the Congolese war on civilians, but also the dire need for efforts to ensure that women and children have access to most basic forms of medical care.' Tiyi Morris, Assistant Professor, Department of African American and African Studies, The Ohio State University
'There is a continuous challenge of trying to strike a balance in the film[s]...[The films] can be used successfully in stimulating a discussion amongst the youth about the negative aspects of such a life as well as an exploration of alternatives.' Teboho Moja, Clinical Professor of Higher Education, New York University
Citation
Main credits
Sorrentino, Bruno (Producer)
Sorrentino, Bruno (Cinematographer)
Bradshaw, Steve (Narrator)
Other credits
Music, Antonio Testa; editor, Barbara Zosel.
Distributor subjects
African Studies; Anthropology; Developing World; Geography; Health; Human Rights; Migration and Refugees; Rape; Reproductive Rights; Social Psychology; Sociology; United Nations; War and Peace; Women's StudiesKeywords
WEBVTT
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With one in thirteen chance of dying in
childbirth, women in Sub-Saharan Africa
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must feel they are in a combat zone. So when
they are really caught up in civil conflict,
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it\'s like being on the frontline twice
over. We asked Dr. Grace Kidindo,
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one of Africa\'s top doctors to find out what it\'s like
on the frontline in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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[music]
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[music]
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My name is Grace Kidindo, I\'m a doctor
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and a obstetrician. I\'m traveling to
Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,
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where for many years a
series of military conflicts
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have been raging. For years, Dr.
Grace Kidindo
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fought to save lives in ill
equipped maternity wards,
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in her native Chad. She is 3.100.
You know, dehydrated.
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She\'s asking for water. TV documentaries
and the press recorded her teams struggle.
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We had one this on Saturday,
Sunday, and Monday, this morning,
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but this morning we had two. Her achievements
have been honored with international awards.
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She\'s been invited to address the UN.
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Do woman from poor country really
have the same right to life and hers
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as their sisters in rich countries? Grace now
works with the Columbia University Program,
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helping to improve reproductive health
care for people affected by war.
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This mission to Congo to find out more about
women\'s special needs in conflict zones.
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I\'ve come to see for myself the impact
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of the fighting on its main
victims, the women and children.
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Grace is traveling to North Kivu,
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a war torn region in eastern Democratic
Republic of Congo. It\'s still highly insecure.
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The humanitarian agency is
providing her transport,
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refused UN armed escort. They believe its
safe here to avoid direct association
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with the conflict, but they must
constantly report their position.
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[sil.]
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Grace aims to meet as many people
affected by war as possible,
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but she\'s in for a shock. She\'s
seen what neglect can do to women,
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but not yet active conflict. Nineteen year
old Yvonne Salome was attacked by soldiers
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as she made her way to her parent\'s field.
Yvonne, tell me what happened.
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They dragged me into the
forest and raped me.
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I hid myself away because I didn\'t want anyone
to know. Only when I found I was pregnant,
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did my parents send me to the clinic.
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Some believe rape survivors are
cursed and will die in childbirth.
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Many women here die.
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When you\'re pregnant, you have to praise the God.
It\'s only by God\'s grace that you survive pregnancy.
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Her parents did not know
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how critical time is in the
hours, in this following rape.
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She is a very strong person. She\'s
even worry about how to find clothes
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for her future baby. Still, I
was not emotionally prepared
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to uh… to talk to her.
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Why is that? Well, because
to see such a young girl
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going through such a traumatic
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uh… event and still being
strong enough to talk
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uh… about what she\'s going through.
She\'s very calm.
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She\'s uh... She\'s… She\'s showing
that, even if she has, she\'s afraid,
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but she\'s still trying
to keep herself together
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and trying to go through this pregnancy.
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[music]
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Rwanguba health zone,
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epicenter of the fighting. Many
who fled, have started to return.
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Things not yet back to normal,
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but the damaged hospitals and
clinics are starting to function.
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Dr Serge Ilunga is a brave man.
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He stayed at his post to
meet the worst of the war.
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The main house impact of the war
is rape and sexual violence.
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What other health issues
apart from sexual violence?
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Many fled into the bush, so they
didn\'t give birth in the hospitals.
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Many mothers died along with their babies.
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[sil.]
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In conflict zones, women in labor are
unlikely to make it to a qualified doctor,
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much less to a hospital, so they
have to rely on one of these.
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This emergency birth kit consists of a
sterile plastic sheet, soap, gloves,
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a razor blade, and medical tape. For a
woman giving birth while on the run,
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it can make the difference between life and death
for her and her baby. The hospitals also stopped
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with another lifesaver, pep kits,
which include emergency drugs
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to protect rape victims from pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
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Can you prevent mother to
child infection of HIV?
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Yes, we can. That\'s good. But
Grace\'s years as an obstetrician
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in some of Africa\'s poorest hospitals
have sharpened her eye for details.
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This is an area with some of the highest
maternal mortality rates in the world,
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yet the hospital register seems
unusually free of maternal deaths.
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Do you never have maternal death? No.
You never had a maternal death.
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No. The hospital register records
about a thousand births a year.
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Grace feels the complete
absence of maternal deaths
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is implausible. So this is
your register of births?
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Yes, this is our register.
How do you explain this?
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There\'s not one thing that maternal death.
Do they die on the road or in their houses?
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We don\'t have any figures. You mean, there\'s
no cases of maternal deaths in the whole area?
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Well, it could happen, but it\'s rare.
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Noor, are there any recorded
cases of HIV positive patients?
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We get many STD infections
but hardly any HIV.
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Only when Grace pursues the issue,
does the reason for the seemingly low
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prevalence of HIV infection became clear.
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Actually running HIV checks here is
difficult, because we don\'t have
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the property agents for testing. Despite
the shortcomings by local standards,
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this hospital is well equipped. Grace
sets off to look at conditions
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further off the beaten track.
All along the way,
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signs of the fighting that\'s taken the
lives of five and a half million people
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in the last decade. The Congolese
army has fought its way
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against half a dozen of all rebel militias.
Only recently, as the UN
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broke it a fragile peace with 17,000
blue helmets now on the ground.
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[music]
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Things are far from certain.
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And aid worker has just been killed.
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You can still hear sporadic shooting
at any time of the day or night.
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Grace is keen to meet people who have
returned since the fighting subsided.
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Their stories are a poignant reminder
of why reproductive health care
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is such a critical need in conflict zones.
She meets two couples,
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both women gave birth while
fleeing the conflict.
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I had been given an emergency birth kit,
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which I put in my bag, but
we were robbed as we ran.
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Aster gave birth while on the run,
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without the emergency delivery kit.
Her baby died soon after.
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Clody Moyambi(ph) was luckier.
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Her husband was able to hang on to
their clean delivery kit as they fled.
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He delivered the baby himself
and the child survived.
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There was shooting everywhere as we fled.
My wife started having labor pains.
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So we went into some bushes.
I put on the rubber gloves
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and I cut the cord with a razor.
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It was cold and we had no baby
clothes, so I wrapped him in my scarf.
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It\'s very rare that the
husband deliver his wife,
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especially in Africa. This is… This
is my first time to hear about that.
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They had the clean delivery kit, and clean
delivering kit is something very basic.
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There is only one plastic sheet, one razor,
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string, small uh… soap and that\'s all,
but there can be difference between
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life or death because it
helps to prevent tetanus,
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which is one of the most uh… common cause of innocent
deaths or… or even maternal deaths from tetanus.
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[sil.]
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This is a family of 10 children,
there are 12 children.
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They have fled during the crisis, they come back. Now both
the husband and wife want to limit their children now,
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that they don\'t know where and how.
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So this is a typical case of
unmet need for family planning.
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[sil.]
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The Ritsoro Tom Health Centre was ransacked during the
fighting and still, only barely manages to function.
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This is the consultation
and observation room.
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Men and women are mixed in here.
It\'s all the space we have.
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Okay.
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What happens in case of birth complications,
such as hemorrhage or conversions?
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What do you do then? Immediately we see
them. So how do you get them to hospital?
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We’re filing a form. But
apart from the forms,
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how do you get them to the hospital? By
ambulance. And how long does it take?
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About an hour so… So then an hour the
patient is on her way to hospital?
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Thank you. Who helps with
the home births? No one.
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So it must be the traditional mid-wives
who help with the home birth? Yes.
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What if a rape victim comes in?
Yes, we\'ve got that kit. Can I see?
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I see you have anti-duovir virus.
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And do you have the morning after pill?
Yes. Mass rape has become a weapon of war
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in the Congo. [sil.]
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Martha Muvasis [12:31] was turned
upside down as she fled the conflict.
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Her husband and their four
children were with her.
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Some soldiers grabbed hold of me and
raped me. I needed medical treatment.
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Then my husband said, he
didn\'t want me anymore.
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When I got home, my house was burned down.
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As a result of the rape,
Martha was left pregnant,
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infected with gonorrhea and
alone with four children
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with no roof over their heads. Some
villages led to the use of an old house.
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This is where she\'s living
now, you can see that.
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The roof is almost out. So during the rain,
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water is just flowing over her and her
children. The story of this poor woman,
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with her four children
and fifth on the way,
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can just, you know, uh…
conclude the whole tragedy
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that people in this area of
conflict they are going through.
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Now she find herself if sexually
transmitted infection and a pregnancy,
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if, no means to live on. It\'s
really unjust for one person
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to go through this whole uh… tragedy.
It\'s really unjust.
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[sil.]
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Faced with the sheer scale of sexual violence against
women, the clinics here offer therapy programs
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to help repair broken lives.
These women are learning to sew,
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it can also help earn a living.
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Well done, good work.
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[sil.]
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To the west is Birambiso, an
area that\'s even less secure.
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Thousands of displaced people are in camps,
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huddle for safety around the UN bases.
But even here armed groups
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make a point of harassing them. All
these displaced people are congregating
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very near the UN forces for their safety.
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Last night at around 1:00 in the morning, some
rebels have shoot to intimidate the people
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and to show them have that, UN people cannot
always protect them. And this show how
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sensitive is the situation.
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[sil.]
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The population of three displaced peoples\'
camps, as well as the local village of Katsiru
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are served by a makeshift health center.
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How many people are served by this clinic?
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With the counts, there are 17,000.
With so many displaced people,
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the clinic is struggling to cope. Women
in labor have to share a room with people
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of all kinds of diseases.
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In the delivery room, Leonior(ph) is about to give
birth. She\'s praying there will be no complications.
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What happens if she has complications?
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Say she has hemorrhages or eclampsia?
The villages make a stretcher
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and carry her to another clinic.
How far is that?
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Twenty kilometers. Twenty kilometers?
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This is the pharmacy. This tiny cupboard
contains the clinic\'s entire stock of medicines.
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It serves the medical
needs of 17,000 people.
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How many cases of rape do
you get here in a month?
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Twenty rapes a month. Do you have pep
kits and the morning after pills?
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We don\'t have any. Can you
give antibiotics? No.
00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:59.999
There are none? We only have tiny amount.
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So you\'re not medically equipped for this
situation? No, we are not equipped to deal with it.
00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:09.999
For the sexual violence situation.
That\'s right.
00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:14.999
So you can\'t run HIV checks to prevent
mother to child transmission?
00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.999
No, we just don\'t have the means.
You don\'t have the means?
00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.999
As you can see we don\'t have the means. You don\'t even
have sterile gloves, nothing? Not even delivery kits.
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.999
You don\'t have delivery kits? Are there
any female mid-wives working here?
00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:34.999
There was one but she left. She told us,
00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
she will prefer to work somewhere else.
Because of the lack of equipment, she left.
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.999
What do you do if a woman gives birth, but
the placenta doesn\'t come out properly?
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I try to get it out with my fingers.
If that doesn\'t work, we\'ll refer her.
00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:59.999
Can I see those stock of condoms?
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This is our stock of condoms. Okay. So
these are all the condoms in the clinic,
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just three? And what about
oral contraceptives?
00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.999
Can I see what you\'ve got?
You have Azurettes?
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.999
Azurettes are a contraceptive pill prescribed
for mothers who are breastfeeding.
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
This is the only type you have? Yes.
00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.999
That\'s not enough. We only have a few.
You only have a few?
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
[sil.]
00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.999
Outside, a group of women who\'ve been
patiently waiting to talk to Grace.
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.999
They\'re all survivors of rape. Are they happy
to talk to us? They don\'t feel embarrassed?
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
No, they are not embarrassed. The
women are keen to tell their stories.
00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.999
The soldiers take me
screaming into the forest.
00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.999
I was claiming that crazy
people thought (inaudible).
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They were too scared to come and help.
Were you tested for HIV?
00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.999
Yes, they tested me for HIV,
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.999
but I still have the lower back pain.
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
I\'m on the bed, you know.
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
Are all these ladies victims of rape? Yes.
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
So all these children are the
product of sexual violence?
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
Yes, that\'s right.
00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:43.000
[sil.]
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.999
Twenty five year old [19:49] was left
pregnant after a group of soldiers raped her.
00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
When my husband found out, he
threw me out of the house,
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
I ran away. How did you give birth?
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
They can\'t help me at the clinic, so they
sent me to the hospital in Nyanzale,
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
where I had a caesarian. You\'re very lucky.
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
If you hadn\'t that caesarian, you
and your children could have died.
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
Twenty percent of population
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
living in the camp, but the large
majority are living outside the camp.
00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
They have no access at all to surgeries
that can help save their lives.
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
So this woman is really
one of the luckiest.
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
How many of you are abandoned by your
husband as a result of being raped?
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
I\'ve talked, there are 60 victim
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
of rape that are here today,
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
58 of them have been abandoned by their husbands,
only two are still with their husbands.
00:20:55.000 --> 00:21:03.000
[sil.]
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
Fear of attack while asleep in
their beds is forcing many people
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
to hide in the bush at night, only returning
to their villages in the morning.
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:30.000
[music]
00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.999
All across Birambiso, Grace finds women
who want to space their pregnancies
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
and doctors and nurses
willing but unable to help.
00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
If only I knew how to delay my
pregnancies, I would do so.
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
Can you help her? In theory I
can help her, but in practice…
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
I mean, can you give her
contraceptives now? What, now? Yes.
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
No, I haven\'t got any. There are not contraceptives
in the whole of Birambiso health centre. None?
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
It\'s a real need for the whole
population around here. Absolutely.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
Grace wants to hear a male perspective. Haragira
Bitabi lost his five children in the war.
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
He and his wife now live in a displaced
people\'s camps. He\'s a suspected case of T.B..
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
We sleep in fear.
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
The women are fear of being raped and
mutilated. Why do men abandon their wives
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.999
when they\'ve been raped? They\'re
scared of getting infected.
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
Some people believe rape
is the woman\'s fault.
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
What do you think? No, it\'s not her fault,
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
but also be scared of getting infected. So
I\'ll make sure she was treated at the clinic
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.999
before taken her back home,
but I wouldn\'t abandon her.
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
Have you heard about male rape? We find
it very disturbing and we\'re scared.
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
I\'m also scared for myself.
I\'m scared to go to my fields
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
on my own.
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
Many people don\'t like talking about male
rape, so cases maybe higher than most assume.
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
How many? Among men, it\'s
at least 20% and for women…
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.999
So 20% of rapes are men and 80% women? Yes.
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.999
So it could be higher than 20%? Yes.
But what we see here is our own
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.999
20% of rapes on men. So it could be more
because most men just wouldn\'t come,
00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.999
because of shame. Because
of the shame, yes.
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.999
[sil.]
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
Back in Katsiru, Leonia has given birth.
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
Any complications would have meant a four
hour trek on a stretcher to a clinic.
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.999
Decent supply of cheap drugs and medical
equipment would make such journeys unnecessary.
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.999
Where do ever begin ending the suffering
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
and end to impunity?
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
Justice seems as good a place as any.
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.999
By chance grace comes across
a roadside court martial,
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
a group of soldiers and their
officer\'s stand accused of raping
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
and terrorizing civilians. The symbolism
does not escape some local women.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
They\'ve been waiting all
day to witness the scene.
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
Women in the world\'s conflict zones need
medical help and they also need justice.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.999
You are each sentence
to lifetime hard labor.
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.999
[sil.]
00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:59.999
Although only a beginning.
This is a real sign of what?
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.999
By far the biggest
casualties of this conflict
00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
are civilians, not defectors
and women and children
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
suffered the most, their
need is the greatest.
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
Reproductive health care must be
seen as a frontline priority,
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
not something to think about
only after the fighting is over.
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:30.000
[music]
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 26 minutes
Date: 2011
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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