Rwandan Genocide: Cine Dhesarme Discusses Gender and Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts
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On June 22, Dhesarme held another edition of Cine Dhesarme during an Introduction to Law class taught by Professor Gustavo Oliveira Vieira at the University of Latin American Integration (UNILA). The event focused on sexual violence in armed conflicts, with special emphasis on the Rwandan Genocide (1994).
To open the event, Júlia Marcon, an International Relations student at UNILA and a member of Dhesarme, presented her undergraduate research project entitled "Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts: The Strategic Use of Rape in History and in the Rwandan Genocide (1994)." Developed by Dhesarme's Director of Communications, Júlia Marcon, and WILPF Brazil member Nicolli Barbosa, the research project, affiliated with UNILA, is supervised by Professor Gustavo Oliveira Vieira and examines how gender-based violence manifests itself in armed conflicts, with particular emphasis on the systematic use of rape during the genocide in Rwanda.
The event then continued with a screening of the film Hotel Rwanda, which portrays the story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who sheltered more than 1,200 refugees during the conflict. Following the screening, Professor Gustavo Oliveira Vieira delivered a presentation on the historical background of the conflict, as well as on the international legal mechanisms aimed at preventing abuses, ensuring accountability for perpetrators, and protecting victims in wartime contexts, with particular emphasis on the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
During the afternoon, students participated in the creation of posters, using art as a means of expressing the reflections and lessons developed throughout the event.
Dhesarme would like to thank all participants for their presence and engagement in another edition of Cine Dhesarme!
23/06/2026 BRT
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