Sexual assault film prompts campus discussion

Despite the large number of people packed into the William Pitt Union Ballroom to catch a film, the viewers stayed silent for the entire documentary. 

The Hillel Jewish University Center, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, Campus Women’s Organization and Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity showed “Brave Miss World” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night.  The film was part of a Brave Miss World on Campus, a  program that travels to local colleges such as Pitt, Duquesne and High Point University to show the documentary on sexual assault and discuss the film’s key issues. Lindsay McCord works for JFilm, the Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival that set up the program.

“The Jewish Healthcare Foundation gave us a large grant to start [Brave Miss World on Campus], and we are using it to share the story and raise awareness,” McCord said.

Brave Miss World is a documentary about Linor Abargil, a rape victim and winner of the Miss World competitio in 1998, which was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2014. Approximately 70 students — 50 female and 20 male — attended the film.

Abargil narrates the film, which follows her journey around the world as she shares her story and talks to other rape victims. Viewers also see her trial to seek justice in the film, and the struggles she faces from those who did not believe her or think she should fight.   

One in six American women are the victims of rape or attempted rape, according to the Rape Crisis Center. Approximately 68 percent of rapes are not reported to the police, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website.

After the movie, Pittsburgh Action Against Rape — a counseling and prevention center for rape vitcims and their families — led a discussion with audience members about precautions students should take to protect themselves against sexual assault. PAAR also urged students to report sexual assault. 

Suzanna Hinkle, vice president of Campus Women’s Organization and a junior majoring in chemical engineering, helped plan and advertise the event. 

Hinkle said CWO agreed to collaborate on the event with Hillel because the film and discussion align with their goal to “fight against sexual assault.” 

“CWO has been working to raise awareness about sexual assault and to prevent it since the start of our organization,” Hinkle said. 

Courtney Strauss, the director of engagement at Hillel JUC, also played a part in organizing and broadcasting the event. 

A 2012 Pitt graduate, Strauss helps students get more involved in Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, and works with Jewish students who want to start new organizations in Pittsburgh.

“Sadly, sexual assault is very prevalent on college campuses, and the more films like this that are shown, the easier it is for victims to talk about it,” Strauss said. “Many people are ashamed to talk about it, but once they see someone else share their story, they feel more comfortable.”

Showing films like Brave Miss World are an avenue to destigmatizing the conversation about rape on college campuses, Zachary Kramer, a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, said. 

“There’s a stigma behind it and the people who do talk about it usually make jokes about it,” Kramer, a sophomore biology major, said. “We want to focus on the fact that it’s not bad to talk about it, and we think that the movie is a great way to do this.”

Meital Rosenberg, vice president of the Hillel Student Board, said she focused on getting the word out about the film and about raising respect for women and rape victims. Rosenberg, a sophomore majoring in global studies, said she was proud to work with the other groups on the event, which she thinks will help to make Pitt’s campus a safer place. 

“The Hillel Jewish University Center and Jewish students on campus deeply care about these issues and want to be active proponents for encouraging dialogue and awareness about what we can do to prevent sexual assault,” Rosenberg said.