“Men need to be part
of the conversation,”
says Callan, “in
Cambodia there are
more than 3000 NGOs
working on violence
against women. Only 3
work with men.”
what creates that kind of behavior,
you get far closer to a solution,” she
says, “and you won't achieve that if
you write them off as crazy
monsters.” Citing cultural and
societal influences, she points out,
“They are men who are a product of
the society in which we live. So the
solution needs to involve everyone in
a society, making sure these
behaviors are not encouraged.”
Ultimately, the crux of the argument
is that if men are demonized, they
may demonize themselves, which
sets in motion a never ending selffulfilling prophecy of violence
against women. A solution, then, can
emerge when society deals with
violence as a collective body, and
everybody takes part in the
discussion.
Trauma,
Facebook
Communication,
and
Aella Callan also acknowledges the
impact of traumatic experiences
when it comes to rape and violence.
Alluding to Cambodia’s history of
genocide she states, “Don't forget,
this is a post-conflict society in which
many young men do not have fathers
or grandfathers to help show them
what it means to be a man…”
She believes that a lack of role models
makes both boys and men vulnerable to
peer pressure of practices like bauk. In
‘It’s a man’s world’, Cambodian
journalist, activist and researcher Tong
Soprach claims that while bauk may start
as a group of men wanting to have sex
with one woman (often a prostitute paid
for consensual sex with one or two men)
peer pressure can escalate it into gang
rape.
Callan believes that communicating
about the issue is a vital step towards a
permanent solution. Referring to the
perpetrators she interviewed, she says,
“No one was providing them with a
moral compass. In fact, sex and any
issues around sex were simply not up for
discussion with older men in their
families…” Whereas social media
campaigns have come under fire for their
usefulness
in
terms of social
reform,
Callan
feels
that
technological
advancements and
social networking
maybe able to
provide
the
communication
links desperately
needed
here,
“Nothing
beats
fathers
and
mothers and older
siblings
being
frank about these
topics. But in the
absence of that, I
think social media
and online blogs
are good to start
the conversation.”
And conversation
is
central
to
finding a solution
in
Callan’s
documentary.
Clockwise from top: Ou Ratanak admits that his friends tried to
pressure him into performing bauk, Callan and Soprach talk to
confessed gang rapists, with Dr. Emma Fullu.