LINOR ABARGIL was 18-years-old and was in Milan. She had been crowned Miss Israel and was looking forward to competing in the 1998 Miss World event, then the unthinkable happened.
Linor was abducted, stabbed, and raped. Six weeks later she somehow managed to still take part in Miss World and was crowned the winner. It was at that moment she vowed to speak out on rape and violence against women, and to try to end the culture of silence around this issue.
Linor, and her campaign, is now the subject of a new documentary - Brave Miss World - which will be screened in the IMC Cinema this Saturday at 7pm as part of the Galway Film Fleadh, in association with the Galway Rape Crisis Centre.
The film follows Linor from the rape, to her Miss World crowning, to becoming a lawyer, and her crusade to fight for justice and break the silence. During her travels she meets other rape victims and in doing so her own trauma begins to resurface.“One in four women world-wide will suffer rape or sexual assault in her lifetime,” said Brave Miss World director Cecilia Peck. “In the US, 60 per cent of rapes go unreported, and nine out of 10 rapists will never spend a day in jail. Most victims of rape are silenced by shame, humiliation, and a lack of support by their families or law enforcement. In stark contrast to this silence, Linor speaks out as loudly as she can. I’m inspired by her determination to transform herself from being the victim of a brutal crime, into someone who can make a huge difference.”
Tickets are available from www.galwayfilmfleadh.com Cecilia Peck will attend the screening.
