Film on genocide in Darfur to premier at Feb. 11 advocacy night
"One Night, One Voice" an advocacy night to end violence against women in Darfur will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 1615 W. Washington St. in Springfield.
At the advocacy night, members of Land of Lincoln - Advocate for Darfur will hold the nationwide premier of a Save Darfur Coalition-produced short film Violence Against Women and the Darfur Genocide. Following the showing, participants will take part in a live-streamed panel discussion, available at www.savedarfur.org/women.
Panel members include Sheri Ramsey, founder of Land of Lincoln - Advocate for Darfur; the Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, panel moderator, from the Save Darfur Coalition board; Maria Bello, panelist, actor and Darfur advocate; and Vicki Compton, director of the Office for the Missions for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
The Sudanese government and its allied janjaweed militias continue to conduct a targeted campaign of sexual violence against women and girls in Darfur, according to the Save Darfur Coalition. International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has said that "rape is an integral part of the pattern of destruction" in Darfur.
Organizers of the advocacy night hope to engage activists in advocating for specific steps that will help halt the endemic violence. These include securing U.S. funding for gender and sensitivity training for Darfur's civilian protection force, and fully implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1820, which works to protect civilians from the use of sexual violence in armed conflict and post-conflict situations.
Land of Lincoln - Advocate for Darfur is a Springfield-area grassroots organization committed to raising awareness about the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Sudan.
The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations that raises public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the Darfur region.
More information on "One Night, One Voice" can be found at www.savedarfur.org/women .