I watched this documentary last night on HBO and, of course, was horrified by the subject matter. While not ignorant to the fact that these atrocities are, and have been, occurring around the world consistently, I have become a bit disturbed by the seemingly well-meaning coverage they receive in films such as this. Although it is unarguably extremely important to get these stories worked into the public consciousness, and anyone who does so should certainly be applauded, I must question the approach western filmmakers continually choose when traveling to 'developing' or war-torn nations. I was bothered throughout this film by Lisa Jackson's effort to use her own experience as a rape victim, repeatedly, as a way of identifying with these women. She even goes so far as to provide clips from the newspaper as proof that she is telling the truth. Although they did share that commonality, to even suggest that there is a similarity in these circumstances is, well, almost patronizing. These women were victims long before they were even sexually assaulted, for they have been raped in so many other ways: economically, socially, culturally, etc. To present them with a newspaper article about one's own experience in an upscale DC neighborhood is rather presumptuous. I can imagine that the Congolese women cannot even begin to identify or relate this experience to their own.

At the same time, I don’t want to minimize Ms. Jackson’s suffering at the hands of her attackers-any brutal rape is an atrocity, and not to be tolerated. I simply feel that, in order to be able to finally make some type of change in the global disasters occurring every second, westerners really need to acknowledge the fact that their experiences are not in any way similar to those of the people they may be trying to help; we live in a completely different world, just accept it. It is not essential to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, particularly when it is impossible to do so. Sometimes it is ok to say you simply want to help in any way that you can. Even the small tokens of make up samples seemed, to me, slightly offensive; these women did not need old donated perfume samples, they need bags of beans, maybe some clothes, or a yard of fabric…it seems to further the ideal of the ‘great white hope’, that everywhere we go as Americans, people will be receptive to us, willing to take what we give them, and get in front of our cameras.

Although Jackson did admit, at some point during the film, that her victimization paled in comparison, and that her make up samples seemed silly, it was too little too late; she had already done both. During one scene where she was filming a support group for women who had been raped, the women indicated that, through telling their stories in this movie, someone outside of these walls would hear them and that ‘sister Lisa’ would be able to get them some help. I hope they are not disappointed if it doesn’t happen. I do believe, however, that people will see this film and be thoroughly disgusted; I was. At the same time, though, we need to really examine all of the global events that have led to this and continue to allow it to be perpetuated, not simply look at the soldiers as barbaric animals who were born that way; they come from a nation of people, colonized, exploited, and used, and this is at the root of the problem. It is a country of victims, at all levels. Tapping into the natural resilience and nurturing strength is crucial for making any change, otherwise the cycle will simply continue and there will be no one left.