Mobile Cinema for Congo’s army up and running

Since August 2011, 6 short films developed by the Mobile Cinema Foundation are being shown to soldiers from Congo’s army. The films deal with the mission of the army, the importance of military training, unjustified motifs for rape, the consequences of sexual violence for victims and perpetrators, trauma among soldiers, the military justice system and future perspectives.

Until the end of the year, 72 screenings are to be organized aiming to reach 14.400 soldiers in North and South Kivu. Nineteen military facilitators have been trained to guide the debate after the screening. A pre- and post-test shows that the knowledge of soldiers on for example the mission of the army, the various types of sexual violence and its consequences increased by about 20% thanks to the Mobile Cinema. During the debate following the film, quite a number of soldiers share personal experiences on sexual violence they observed or in some cases even committed.