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Sophie Turner visits Rwanda genocide survivors, backs group rebuilding lives

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

During her 2017 visit to Rwanda, Sophie Turner met with female survivors to observe the direct impact of practical community support and business training. The initiatives run by Women for Women International were established in 1997 to aid a population where women made up roughly 70 percent of the post-genocide society. Turner engaged with local women who transformed their households, such as Grace, a widowed mother of five who used savings skills to purchase cows to sustain her family.

Key points

  • Women for Women International has operated in Rwanda since 1997 to provide financial trai…: Women for Women International has operated in Rwanda since 1997 to provide financial training and rights education.
  • Turner used her public platform to advocate for gender-based violence survivors after pub…: Turner used her public platform to advocate for gender-based violence survivors after public discussions surrounding her television role.
  • Practical savings and vocational programmes have allowed widowed survivors to build susta…: Practical savings and vocational programmes have allowed widowed survivors to build sustainable businesses and support surviving relatives.

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Sophie Turner, best known for playing Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, used her experience on the television series to draw attention to sexual violence and the struggles faced by women survivors of conflict. In 2017, the British actress travelled to Rwanda, where she met women affected by the 1994 genocide and witnessed how they were rebuilding their lives. The visit marked an important step in her work with Women for Women International, an organisation supporting women survivors of war through education, financial skills and community support.

How Sophie Turner’s Game of Thrones role led her to Rwanda

Turner's involvement with women's rights grew partly from the reaction to a controversial storyline in Game of Thrones. Her character, Sansa Stark, experienced sexual violence during the fifth season, and the scene prompted considerable criticism from viewers. However, Turner believed the public response revealed something important about the way sexual violence was discussed.

In an interview reported by Arab News in March 2017, the actress said she was shocked by the reaction. She questioned why audiences considered the depiction of rape on…

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