Viceland’s ‘Woman’ shines harsh light on women in peril
Gloria Steinem, the host and producer of the series, which premieres on Tuesday, May 10, insists that “the greatest indicator of the world’s stability, wealth and safety is the status of women.”
Tuesday’s premiere, “Rape as a Weapon of War,” takes viewers to Kivu province on the eastern side of Congo, still reeling from the aftereffects of the First and Second Congo Wars of 1996-2003 and continuing incursions by Rwandans.
Reporter Isobel Yeung travels more than 3 miles through the jungle in South Kivu to meet with a local warlord who heads one of the vigilante defense units known as the mai mai.
[...] when asked about reports that mai mai themselves have committed rape, Asamoa offers a verbal shrug, saying, in essence, how can he control what his soldiers do when they are off in remote places?
Nonetheless, the provincial vice governor says that there is a “clear improvement” in the government’s efforts to protect women.
The second episode provided to critics for review takes us to Colombia, where civil war has been raging for more than half a century but is showing signs of coming to an end.
Over the years, women have sought refuge from the sexist civilian society in Colombia by joining FARC, where they have enjoyed both status and freedom, as well as economic independence.
The fetus, she says, was torn from her “piece by piece,” despite her desire to keep the child.
David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle.