Thursday, October 13, 2016

The Uncondemned

Part of my position at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum involves assisting in the development, execution and analysis of public programs enacted by the Museum. Public Programs consist of any sort of outreach event opened to the public. These events take place all over the country, with regional offices in the Northeast, Southwest and West coast. Although I have only finished my second week in this position, I have already had the opportunity to participate in the Film Screening of a new ground-breaking documentary entitled, The Uncondemned.

The documentary follows the story of a group of international lawyers sent to Rwanda following the 1994 genocide. The 100-day Rwandan Genocide left almost 1 million Tutsis dead at the hands of the Hutu majority. Despite events in Cambodia and Bosnia, Rwanda would be the first to use the International Criminal Court since 1946. It would also be the first time rape, constituted as a war crime in 1919, was tried in the ICC as a crime of war.

Rape is synonymous with war, as the display of sexual power easily pairs with intergroup conflicts. The documentary follows the pioneering efforts of a band of young activists, faced with institutional backlash and lack of resources, determined to hold the guilty accountable for their crimes of sexual violence. Even more profound, however, are the young women from Rwanda who courageously stepped forward to speak the truth that so many others overlooked. The story of this group and their trial at the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda inspires the never-ending effort to not forget the past, while progressing towards eliminating future genocidal activity.

After the screening of the film, a panel formed comprising of Sara Darehshori, one of the former prosecutors for the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda, and Michele Mitchell, the film’s co-director. Questions from the audience attempted to shine more light on the process Darehshori and others underwent in order to change the international criminal justice system. Sexual violence is a unique war crime, in that acts of rape or sexual assault occur almost in conjunction wartime and long periods of violence.

Unfortunately, however, these crimes are frequently overlooked for the “more important” crimes. During the Holocaust, for example, SS guards often boasted of raping Hungarian Jews selected to go to the gas chambers the following day. This is not to diminish the crime of mass murder, but the lack of criminal charges against SS officials committing acts of sexual violence and rape allows for an entire aspect of victim suffering to go unheard. Sara and the other lawyers and activists in Rwanda fought to get these crimes heard, even though outside organizations were solely focused on crimes associated with mass murder.

The use of rape as a war tool and intimidation tactic dates back centuries, yet the first trial of rape as a war crime, did not occur until the late 1990’s. I am very grateful for my co-op for many reasons, but above all, I appreciate the knowledge and connections associated with my many jobs. On a daily basis, I learn something new about the Holocaust, genocide, international justice or atrocity prevention. Perhaps I am still influenced by my childhood dreams of becoming a teacher like my mother, as I firmly believe that learning is the most powerful tool we have to overcome the hate pinning societies against one another. Listening to a story and learning from the experiences of others never ceases to connect us, as cheesy and obvious as that sounds. Sara and the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda, through the never-ending pursuit of young activists, listened to the women of Rwanda, and the world learned, but the learning is not over.

No comments:

Post a Comment