‘It Has to Be Told and Believed’: Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg Discusses Documenting Hamas’ Oct. 7 Sexual Assault

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s former chief operating officer, recently discussed her commitment to sharing with the world through her recently released...

The post ‘It Has to Be Told and Believed’: Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg Discusses Documenting Hamas’ Oct. 7 Sexual Assault first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Sheryl Sandberg at the 2022 Women’s Media Awards at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, New York, on Nov. 17, 2022. Photo: Gabriele Holtermann-Gorden/Sipa via Reuters Connect

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s former chief operating officer, recently discussed her commitment to sharing with the world through her recently released YouTube documentary the first-hand testimonies and stories of women who were sexually assaulted, raped, abducted, and murdered during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.

“It’s very hard to watch, but this is a story that has to be told and believed. It really is the most important work of my life,” Sandberg told People magazine in a recent interview. “No matter what flag you fly, no matter what you’re marching for, no matter what you believe, rape is not acceptable as a tool of war. Full stop.”

Sandberg, 54, flew to Israel in late January to film a YouTube documentary she titled “Screams Before Silence,” in which she speaks with witnesses and survivors of the Oct. 7 attacks who share their first-hand testimonies of sexual assault and rape. The almost hour-long documentary includes interviews with freed hostages, first responders, legal, medical, and forensic experts, and experts in the field of sexual violence, one of whom explained why rape is such an effective tool in war. The film was released in mid-April and has garnered over 1 million views on YouTube.

Former hostages have spoken publicly about the sexual abuse they experienced by Hamas terrorists, and there has been widespread evidence that sexual violence took place both during the Oct. 7 Hamas assault and afterwards against hostages. The United Nations said there is “clear and convincing information” and “reasonable grounds” to believe rape and other forms of sexual violence were committed by Hamas. Still, many deny that Hamas terrorists carried out sexual violence against their victims on Oct. 7, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

“This documentary is the story of how so many women and men — how many, we may never know — spent the last moments of their lives. People need to see the facts here,” Sandberg told People magazine, in response to a question about those who deny the sexual violence discussed in her film. “People need to be honest about what happened on Oct 7. And if it doesn’t fit into your narrative, then rethink your narrative,” she added. “We need to remain united no matter what else you think. We’ve got to be united against sexual assault.”

When asked why she felt compelled to make “Screams Before Silence,” Sandberg replied, “I had to do this.”

“I wish this work wasn’t necessary, but I really feel like everything I’ve done in my life has led me to this moment where I could help bear witness,” she explained. “I’ve obviously been a businessperson and I’ve been a very outspoken feminist for a very long time. But I didn’t think in my lifetime, especially after #MeToo, that I would see such a lack of outrage at best or denial at worst of the sexual violence that occurred on Oct. 7. I can’t let that happen.”

She also told People the sexual violence that occurred on Oct. 7 needs to be considered a global issue.

“Rape goes to the heart of who we are,” she said. “What’s interesting is that Hamas seems very proud of what they’ve done [in attacking Israel], reminding everyone that they’re going to keep coming back again and again. Yet they deny the rapes. In a world where they’re saying, ‘Yay, we killed Jews,’ they are denying that the rapes happened. This can’t just be a women’s issue. It’s got to be an issue for all of us.”

The post ‘It Has to Be Told and Believed’: Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg Discusses Documenting Hamas’ Oct. 7 Sexual Assault first appeared on Algemeiner.com.