The Congo and Beyond: Join a Live Chat on Empowering Women

Join us Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) for an online panel discussion, hosted by the PBS NewsHour and Independent Television Service (ITVS), about violence against women in the Congo and beyond.

Set on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, the discussion will highlight reports and footage from the upcoming PBS Independent Lens documentary “Pushing the Elephant” to shed light on the effects of war on women and families.

The live event is open to the public, and participants are encouraged to log on and ask questions:

Moderated by NewsHour correspondent Hari Sreenivasan, the online discussion will feature:

• Rose Mapendo, Congolese refugee and founder of the humanitarian organization Mapendo New Horizons. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees named her 2009 Humanitarian of the Year.

• Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel, filmmakers of “Pushing the Elephant,” which airs later this month on Independent Lens. Check your local PBS station’s listings.

• Adotei Akwei, managing director of government relations for Amnesty International

Also, in honor of International Women’s Day, PBS’ WideAngle is creating an interactive map as part of its “Women, War and Peace” series.