Researchers are increasingly using audio-visual equipment in order to document and disseminate their research findings. Film can undoubtedly be a powerful tool for communication. However, there are also a number of ethical and practical issues which need to be addressed when it comes to how audio-visual content is collected and disseminated. There is one principle above all others which must take centre stage: local communities and survivors must have a voice in how their stories are told.
This article reflects upon how the Refugee Law Project (RLP) deploys video advocacy within local communities. Much of this work has focused on male survivors of conflict related sexual violence (CRSV). These survivors have different backgrounds. Some come from northern Uganda, where communities of people affected by the conflict between Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the government of Uganda (1986-2006) are living in internally displaced persons camps. Others are refugees who have entered Uganda in order to escape wars in neighbouring countries, such South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Eritrea. Both internally displaced persons and refugees are forced migrants, and have endured many hardships.
It is not easy for anyone to talk about sexual violence. Filming men talking about sexual violence can be especially challenging. RLP has produced three videos on this topic 'They Slept with Me', which is the story of one survivor, ''Men Can Be Raped Too'' which was scripted, filmed and acted by members of a unique support group ‘Men of Hope’, and “Gender Against Men”.
