The Men Who Killed Me: Rwandan Survivors of Sexual Violence - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1553653106 ISBN 13: 9781553653103

Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre, 2009

Synopsis

In the 100 days of genocide that ravaged Rwanda in 1994, one million people were killed and as many as 500,000 women and girls were raped. No one was spared. Grandmothers were raped in front of their grandchildren; young girls witnessed their families being massacred before being taken as sex slaves. Nearly all the women who survived were victims of sexual violence or were profoundly affected by it. An astounding 70 percent are HIV-positive. In Rwanda’s social and cultural climate, survivors who speak out face discrimination and isolation. The Men Who Killed Me features testimonials from 17 Rwandan survivors. Through their narratives and Samer Muscati’s powerful portraits of them, these 16 women and one man bear witness not only to the crimes they and their countrymen endured, but to the incredible courage that has allowed them to survive and flourish.

About this title

About the Author:

Stephen Lewis, co-director of AidsûFree World, is the former UN Special Envoy for Hiv/Aids in Africa. In 1997 he served on the OAU Panel to Investigate the Genocide in Rwanda.
Eve Ensler, playwright, performer and activist, is the author of many plays, including The Vagina Monologues, which has been performed in more than 120 countries. Ms. Ensler is also the founder of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls.

From Publishers Weekly:

In concert with the 100 days of the Rwandan genocide, between 250,000 and 500,000 women and girls were raped, commonly with extraordinary brutality by Hutu militias and occasionally even by those sent to save them. From interviews that took place in 2008 under the auspices of a survivor-run organization, de Brouwer and Chu redact oral accounts of 17 rape survivors, including one male. In the dire aftermath of the traumatic assaults, 70% of the survivors are now HIV positive and suffer the added trauma of isolation and alienation. The editors introduce the survivors' testimonials with a brief, lucid account of the events in Rwanda supplemented by a list of sexual violence in conflict situations around the world. The grim testimonials are followed by a clarion call by Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues), whose afterword exhorts readers to end this violence, and a list of organizations dedicated to aiding the survivors. Muscati's 35 b&w photographs of the survivors and their families are as moving and unforgettable as their words. (Sept.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1553653106
• ISBN 13: 9781553653103
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184
• Editor: Anne-Marie De Brouwer, Sandra Ka Hon Chu