The University of Nevada, Reno presented the documentary film, Brave Miss World, last night. It was a huge success as UNR’s Lowery Theater had reached capacity.
This moving documentary was based on the rape of Miss World 1998, Linor Abargil, and how she found the strength to carry on and help others around the world who suffer from rape. Only six weeks prior to being crowned Miss World, Abargil was brutally raped in Milan, Italy by an Israeli travel agent, Uri Schlomo Nur. Abargil broke the norm of rape victims and decided not only to press charges against the attacker but also became a voice of hope and strength for victims of rape all around the world.
Brave Miss World focuses on the issue of how common rape has become in our world. She discusses how silence and social stigma has lead to more unreported rapes world wide. The documentary shed light on the effects rape can have to the victims family and friends. Abargil’s own family didn’t want her to publicize the attack because of the stigma attached with being a rape survivor. However, once she put together a web site dedicated to rape awareness and connecting rape survivors, her family support was instrumental in her healing process.
After the website launched, many brave women came forward to tell their stories. What started as whispers, became cries of justice. Abargil learned that many survivors do not even notify authorities because it does more harm than good. Officers and other officials often advised them not to report and turned to victim-blaming when the court cases did occur. The focus of the documentary is later placed on sexual assaults occurring on University campuses in the U.S. One of every five women in college has been sexually assaulted. The Universities have swept this problem under the rug and look the other way when these attacks occur.
The documentary talks about her own healing process through religion and creating her own family. Brave Miss World closes with notification of Uri Schlomo Nur being released from jail this coming July despite various hearings and letters pleading for him to stay in jail to keep the community safe.
