Through Our Eyes
Addressing gender-based violence through community video

In partnership with the American Refugee Committee (ARC), C4C has undertaken a multi-country community video project that addresses the critical problem of gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence (GBV) affects millions of women and girls whose lives have been uprooted by conflict and displacement. Rape is used as a weapon of war; women and girls seeking refuge are often coerced into sex in exchange for food or safe passage. In addition, the stress of dislocation and loss can give rise to domestic violence and spousal abuse.

The “Through Our Eyes” project helps members of conflict-affected communities broaden awareness of gender-based violence, its consequences, and ARC’s prevention and response programs. Piloted in Guinea and Liberia in early 2006, the project enables local teams to spread vital information on these services through videotapes that feature community voices, resources, and models of change.

In early 2006, a two-week workshop at Lainé refugee camp in Guinea’s Forest Region brought together ARC field staff, refugee women, and other community members. Training was carried out by C4C with technical assistance from CPTAFE, our local partner organization (see Guinea, Projet Video Sabou et Nafa. After gaining essential skills in community video production, interpersonal communication, and related issues such as confidentiality and survivor safety, the workshop participants formed the first “Through Our Eyes” video teams: one based in N’Zerekore, Guinea, and the other in Bong County, Liberia.

Based on their deep familiarity with the issues facing their communities, these teams have produced video dramas and documentaries on rape, wife-beating, sexually-transmitted infections, and forced marriage. After local screenings of the tapes and accompanying discussion sessions, community members share experiences and offer ideas on how to address the problems that confront them. They also gain first-hand information about ARC’s services for survivors of violence, including legal aid, counseling, and skills training programs that foster women’s economic independence.

These community playbacks have prompted many women to seek ARC’s services immediately. This is particularly notable in the case of the videotape on rape produced by the Liberia team. Indeed, field staff note that, before the initiation of video activities, most reported instances of rape concerned assaults on children, whereas following the video sessions, a greater number of adult women have come forward to report assaults and seek counseling. This suggests that the video scenarios may resonate with viewers in such a way as to lessen their concerns of social stigma and encourage them to speak out and seek appropriate care.

The self-representational nature of participatory video enables survivors of gender violence to play an active role in promoting change within their communities. Some survivors choose to speak out directly. The refugee woman featured in the team’s first tape, a documentary on the consequences of forced/early marriage, wanted to share her story on-camera. In doing so, she was able to urge others to abandon the practice that had such detrimental effect on her own life.

There are several options for survivors who wish to participate in project activities but prefer not to be identified. They can be filmed anonymously through the use of various techniques practiced in the workshop; alternatively, they can help develop a role-play or drama that reflects their experiences, but leaves out specific details. For many survivors, the act of speaking out against gender violence is deeply empowering one, and a step in the gradual process of healing.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day (June 20, 2006), the “Through Our Eyes” project was the subject of a Congressional briefing organized by ARC. This event featured the screening of a short documentary that depicts the project’s early stages. (Watch the video online.)

Funds are currently being sought for implementation of the “Through our eyes” initiative in other ARC project countries, including Thailand, Pakistan, Rwanda, and Sudan. Anticipated future activities, pending funding, include community-based assessments of project outcomes and a gathering of participants from diverse project sites to exchange experiences and develop a toolkit of “Best Practices” in the use of community media for outreach on gender violence and related issues.

For more information on the “Through Our Eyes” project, please contact: Lauren Goodsmith
Project Director, Communication for Change
Email: lauren_goodsmith@hotmail.com
Tel: (410) 235-2465

or

Connie Kamara
International Health Program Coordinator,
American Refugee Committee International
Email: ConnieK@archq.org
Tel: (612) 872-7060