Wubete, A Walk to Beautiful

Last year I saw A Walk to Beautiful, a gorgeous documentary about the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, and the women in Ethiopia who travel for days to reach it. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital was founded in 1974 by obstetrician-gynecologist, Drs. Catherine Hamlin, and her late husband, Reginald. The pair restored the lives of over 32,000 women who were otherwise outcast from their communities. Today, Catherine runs the clinic, and 2,200 women a year continue to be given free care.

Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal primarily caused by prolonged labor without prompt medical intervention, often in countries that practice female circumcision. The WHO has called fistula “the single most dramatic aftermath of neglected childbirth.” However, in places like the Congo where rape is being used as a tool of war on a massive scale, the result is often traumatic fistulas. In fact, 80% of all fistula cases in the Congo are due to Gender Based Violence and not childbirth.  Holes are formed in the bladder, vagina and rectum that are caused by traditional gang rape or its new incarnation, attack using bayonets, wood and even guns.

The woman is left with chronic incontinence. The smell of leaking urine or feces, or both, is constant and humiliating, often driving loved ones away. Often, a woman in these circumstances is referred to as “the one who attracts flies.” One woman in A Walk to Beautiful was made to sleep in a lean-to outside her home, normally reserved for livestock. A simple surgery can usually repair the injury, with success rates as high as 90% for experienced surgeons.  Sadly, most women with the condition do not know that treatment is available, or they cannot afford it. The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital offers hope for many women who, prior to reaching the facility, had believed themselves to be simply waiting to die.

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo

To learn more about Gender Based Violence in the Congo, another gutwrenching documentary is called The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo. This film includes testimonies from both rape victims and the rapists themselves, who seem to be unafraid of being seen on camera, proclaiming things like: “If she says no, I must take her by force. If she’s strong, I’ll call some friends to help me.”  For me, the most poignant part of this film was one woman’s description of her attack. A group of men came to her house, they killed her husband, severing him in three sections: head, torso, and legs. They then all proceeded to rape her. When they finished, she was in so much pain that she passed out on the floor, next to her husband’s legs. The film also tracks community outreach initiatives and grassroots organizations working to bring together these survivors  for the exchange of experiences and healing.

A common experience in both rape and fistula is that a woman feels she is the only one suffering. She feels shame and fear and embarrassment for what has happened to her, and for her condition. Often, her society encourages these feelings of alienation, because they are unable to see her as a casualty, and assume she must have “done something wrong” in order to incur this situation. The overarching theme in these films is the beauty and power of connecting with other people. Through both of these initiatives, women know they are not alone.