CRUDE: Women and Children Pay for the Real Price of Oil

by Dorothee Royal-Hedinger · 2009-08-20 10:13:00 UTC
Topics:

Coming to theaters next month is a documentary film called CRUDE, which chronicles the epic battle to hold oil giant Chevron (formerly Texaco) accountable for its systematic contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon – an environmental tragedy experts call "the Rainforest Chernobyl."

Besides the basic fact that women and children often face disproportionate risk in cases of environmental contamination, there have been studies looking at the specific impact on women in the region. One study cited by Han Shan, a coordinator of the Clean Up Ecuador Campaign led by US-based NGO Amazon Watch, has demonstrated the presence of contamination by oil pollutants in communities close to oil fields, at levels high enough to cause alarm. It also provides some evidence of an increased risk of spontaneous abortions in women living in the proximity of the oil fields, after adjustment for other better-known risks common in developing-country settings.

It's heartbreaking to see how indigenous women in particular are marginalized by big business and an unresponsive government. The trailer below shows one mother calmly explaining that her young daughter has cancer in her liver:


The film opens in New York on 09/09/09, followed by openings in L.A., San Francisco and D.C. In order for the film to gain real national distribution, it must nearly sell out in those key markets. So if you get a chance, please support this important film!

Word-of-mouth is priceless for a grassroots film like CRUDE. There's lots you can do to help spread the word and get involved in supporting the campaign. Visit ChevronToxico.com and you can sign up for updates on the latest news about CRUDE here.

Dorothee Royal-Hedinger
PREVIOUS STORY:
A Global Look At Women's Attitudes Toward Domestic Abuse
NEXT STORY:
Fox News' Trotta Still Doesn't Get It: I Want Her Rape Apologism Off the Air

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.