By Eve Ensler, V-Day Founder, and Monique Wilson, One Billion Rising Director
V-Day expresses its strong support for the workers in Bangladesh killed when a building, housing several garment factories manufacturing clothing for American and European companies, collapsed on April 25th. The collapse of Rana Plaza building in Savar, an industrial suburb of Dhaka, has killed over 300 people to date, mostly young women workers – and has injured over 2,000 – with the death toll rising by the hour.
Huge cracks had been found in the building, and workers refused to go into the building to work, but were forced by the garment factory owners who threatened non-payment of one month’s wages if the workers didn’t comply. According to Khushi Kabir, a women’s rights activist and One Billion Rising coordinator for Bangladesh – “I am so sick of the unnecessary murder of the workers, most of whom are women. This is not the first time garment owners have shown such callousness, nor the first time such tragedies have occurred. Despite High Court orders, no actions seem to have been put in place.”
Workers in numerous factories in Bangladesh, like many parts of Asia – suffer low wages, long working hours and no benefits. In various cases, they have been subjected to repressive measures and have to work in environments with almost no health and safety standards. Women workers are the most vulnerable of all – as they also suffer other forms of exploitation and abuse within the work place.
This is more than just a building collapsing and the rising death toll. This is a consequence of a long line of exploitative systems in place that put profit and money over the value of human lives. This is the owner of the building who never got any clearance for the structure, and the relevant authorities who never questioned it.
This is the failure of the government with regard to enforcement of the Bangladesh National Building Code, provisions of adequate punishment and fines, and employers’ negligence in taking safety measures which has led to continued tragedies such as this.
The RMG (ready made garment) sector in Bangladesh employs approximately over 5 million workers in Bangladesh, providing jobs, and contributing significantly to the GDP of the nation. The sector’s contributions must not go in vain. The continuous exploitative system needs to end now, and it is the RMG sector that needs to come forward and act on basic fundamentals that do not violate basic human rights, and more importantly not lead to incidents such as these.
This is the concerted failure of all stakeholders today – the government, politicians, the garment owner.
But the chain doesn’t end there. It is important to look at the American and European companies- whose production took place within those factories. Who pay starvation wages of 14 to 24 cents an hour to a Bangladeshi worker, in this case mostly women, who works 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. Companies who then pay less than ten cents for a garment, manufactured on the back of workers who are rarely provided extra benefits or healthy work environments, who cannot afford to say no because they need the money in order to survive. It is time that these companies look beyond, and ensure realistic payments, and standards – the margins in this case will not be lost significantly, neither will the business model collapse. This is where the idea of responsible business needs to begin. It is time for these global companies to stand up and act, and end the entrenched cycles of economic dependence in countries such as Bangladesh.
V-Day stands up for the workers in Bangladesh, and calls for the government of Bangladesh to ensure institutional systems that allow ensuring basic human rights of the workers. We also call on their government to conduct the monitoring and implementation of health and safety conditions in work places – and for them to be held accountable in their conscious violations of workers’ rights to a safe, secure and healthy work environment.
V-Day also calls on the numerous American and European clothing companies who do production there:
Wal-Mart
Primark UK
Joe Fresh
Children’s Place
Cato
Benetton
For them to also be held equally accountable for the part they play in the continued exploitation of workers in Bangladesh. These companies exist where democratic systems are in place – therefore they must insist and demand the same structures of a working democracy – dignity in labor and full labor rights – the humane and dignified treatment and protection of workers. They need to be willing to ensure their role and contribution in ensuring proper standards for these workplaces.
Economic disempowerment is a form of violence.
Severe negligence in the workplace is a form of violence.
Exploitation of labor is a form of violence.
No labor rights – is a form of violence.
No human rights – is a form of violence.
We RISE for the workers who lost their lives – largely women, 18 or 19 years old – who deserved the most fundamental of rights – to live and work with dignity and safety. We RISE with the survivors and fight for their right to exercise their democratic and human right to work in an environment of respect, equality, safety, dignity and freedom.We RISE against the system that financially empowers the chosen few at the expense of the majority – and the perpetuation of the cycle of economic violence this keeps in place. We RISE against the hunger, poverty, exploitation and oppression that have kept the workers of the world in a perpetual economic prison- that have served and benefited the decision makers – corporations, corrupt governments and the ruling elite – at the biggest human cost – the people.
We RISE for JUSTICE for the workers of Bangladesh.
Eve Ensler, V-Day Founder, and Monique Wilson, One Billion Rising Director
V-Day has created THE RISING FUND, which will provide immediate emergency support for workers and their families. All funds raised will go directly to the medical and financial support of the families of the workers who lost their lives, and to the medical needs of the workers who were injured.
“With painstaking care and brutal honesty, Eden takes us inside one young woman’s story of being sex trafficked.” That is how Eve described the new indy feature film, Eden, that was just released on VOD this week. Eve goes on to say: “This is the story of the strength of a girl’s spirit, set amidst the horror and the incomprehensible, premeditated violence of sex trafficking where women are mere products to be sold and violated and thrown away. Eden makes our hearts hurt and our hearts soar. We cannot, we must not look away.”
V-Day Congo & City of Joy Director Christine Schuler Deschryver shares with us news from City of Joy and the third class of graduates:
It is hard to put into words what the graduation yesterday was like – it is just beyond words, the transformation of the girls and the children is so radical. Many people attended, most of them from civil society. Dr. Mukwege also came with lots of his visitors and I don’t remember seeing him so proud and happy. He did an amazing speech glorifying our work, and the girls.
Girls were radiant and extremely proud to show everything they learned at City of Joy. Theatre and songs were used. Some of my favorite Congolese actors here surprised me by coming and played the role of a wife coming back home after being raped, healed at Panzi hospital and trained at City of Joy. It was just excellent.
Let me thank all of you for your support to make this happen. As I told Eve, my strength here is my friendship with her and all your love. It is more and more difficult to work here – problems coming from everywhere, challenges everyday. We have to go on knowing we are doing our best, trying to bring brighter days in the darkness of DR Congo. You cannot change the world without love.
Social workers left this morning for new recruitment and we will start our new session on May 2nd. A lot of preparation work to do before the new group arrives.
“Eve Ensler’s memoir is not only wild and raw and incredibly important, it’s also that rarest of achievements—a compulsively readable, stunningly rendered work of art that delivers hope and truth, challenge and solace, sometimes simultaneously.”
—Alexandra Fuller
On April 26, Eve Ensler will kick off a 19-city U.S. tour for her latest book, In the Body of the World, a visionary memoir of separation and connection—to the body, the self, and the world. It will be released by Metropolitan Books on April 30th.
Check out Eve’s full U.S. tour schedule below:
Sante Fe, NM:The Lensic Performinc Arts Center (Collected Works), April 26, 2013 Tickets >
Brooklyn, NY:Powerhouse Arena, April 30, 2013, at 7:00 pm Tickets >
New York, NY:Barnes & Noble (Union Square), May 1, 2013, at 7:00 pm Tickets: FREE
Washington, DC:Politics & Prose (Sixth & I Synagogue), May 2, 2013, at 7:00 pm Tickets >
Philadelphia, PA:Free Library of Philadelphia, May 4, 2013, 7:30 pm Tickets: FREE
Boston, MA:Harvard Bookstore (The Brattle Theater), May 6, 2013, at 6:00 pm Tickets >
Rochester, MN: May 7, 2013.
Minneapolis, MN:Common Good Books (Macalester College), May 8, 2013, at 7:00 pm Tickets >
Troy, MI:Planned Parenthood, May 9, 2013, at noon Tickets >
Chicago, IL:Women & Children First (The Swedish American Museum), May 10, 2013 Tickets >
Portland, OR:Powell’s City of Books, May 16, 2013, at 7:30 pm
Seattle, WA:Elliott Bay Books (Benaroya Hall), May 18, 2013 Tickets >
Palo Alto, CA:Oshman Family JCC, May 19, 2013, at 7:30 pm Tickets >
Berkeley, CA:KPFA-AM Radio (First Congregational Church of Berkeley), May 20, 2013 Tickets >
San Francisco, CA:Grace Cathedral (Books Inc.), May 21, 2013, at 7:00 pm Tickets >
San Rafael, CA:Book Passage (Dominican University), May 22, 2013, at 7:00 pm Tickets >
Los Angeles, CA:Los Angeles Public Library, May 23, 2013 Tickets >
New York, NY:92nd Street Y “In Conversation with Alice Walker” May 30, 2013, at 8:15pm Tickets >
Atlanta, GA:Buckhead Theatre, May 31, 2013, at 6:30pm Tickets: General admission tickets are $30 with a copy of the book and $15 (student/activist rate) without a book. BUY online >
In this fourth installment of the RISING Blog series, we hear from Mily Trevino-Saucedo executive director of Lideres Campesinas, Colette de Troy & Valentina Brogna from the European Women’s Lobby; and V-Day staff members Tony Montenieri and Kate Fisher.
BRUSSELS RISING by Colette de Troy & Valentina Brogna, Regional Coordinators (European Women’s Lobby)
One Billion Rising was an exciting way of campaigning against violence against women. We used music and art, we danced and sang, using our bodies to protest and to occupy public spaces so that our message could not be ignored and could be conveyed in a positive, non-violent way. CONTINUE reading >
FARMWORKERS RISING by Mily Trevino-Saucedo, Regional Coordinator ¡Gracias a Eve y a toda la gente de V-Day que nos animó a ser parte de este esfuerzo global! Nos sentimos parte de un mundo que aún cree en la justicia, la paz y la no violencia. CONTINUE reading >
MY PERSONAL JOURNEY TO ONE BILLION RISING by Tony Montenieri, V-Day Director of Operations OBR technically began for me on February 14th 2012. Eve was flying from Australia to Los Angeles where after being on a plane for 14 hours she would get off the plane and head to CNN to announce the global action called One Billion Rising. CONTINUE reading >
I’M NOT A DANCER by Kate Fisher, V-Day Communications & Special Events Director I’m not a dancer. I’m not overly coordinated. I’m a little self-conscious, I’m not at all graceful, and my rhythm is suspect. CONTINUE reading >
RISE with Your Fellow Activists for V-Season 2013!
Bangladesh, Iran, the Yale Divinity School, New Dehli, Qatar, Ecuador, Russia, Jerusalem, Vienna, Namibia, Turkey, Germany, Nigeria, Japan, Bolivia…these are just a fraction of the over 1,500 locations (and still growing) where V-Day benefit events are taking place this V-Season. V-Activists everywhere are taking the energy from ONE BILLION RISING and using it in their communities to raise funds and awareness to end violence against women and girls.
With four weeks left, there are hundreds of V-Day benefit events taking place throughout the world, so check out our V-Map, find an event near you, and don’t miss this opportunity to keep the momentum going!
“A masterpiece. Ensler has accomplished the impossible: weaving together huge, bold, world-changing ideas with beautiful writing, amazing metaphors, and original structure. Truly one of the most courageous and original works of our time.” —>Naomi Klein
In The Body of The World, Eve’s new visionary memoirof separation and connection—to the body, the self, and the world, will be released by Metropolitan Books on April 30th.
Book Description: Playwright, author, and activist Eve Ensler has devoted her life to the female body—how totalk about it, how to protect and value it. Yet she spent much of her lifedisassociated from her own body—a disconnection brought on by her father’s sexual abuse and her mother’s remoteness. “;Because I did not, couldnot inhabit my body or the Earth,” she writes, “I could not feel or know their pain.” But Ensler is shocked out of her distance. While working inthe Congo, she is shattered to encounter the horrific rape and violence inflicted on the women there. Soon after, she is diagnosed with uterine cancer, and through months of harrowing treatment, she is forced to become firstand foremost a body—pricked, punctured, cut, scanned. It is then that all distance is erased. As she connects her own illness to the devastation of the earth, her life force to the resilience of humanity, she is finally, fully—and gratefully—joined to the body of the world. Unflinching, generous, and inspiring, Ensler calls on us all to embody our connection to and responsibility for the world.
RISING Blog Series: More Words From Behind the Scenes
In this third installment of the RISING Blog series, we hear from Guatemala, Zimbabwe, and the U.S:
REVOLUCIONA MI VIDA by Marsha Lopez, Regional Coordinator (Guatemala / América Latina) Hace más de diez años tuve la oportunidad de salir de una relación de maltrato y abuso que llevo mi vida a limites cercanos a la muerte… CONTINUE reading >
ZIMBABWE RISING by Nyasha Sengayi, Regional Coordinator
The 14th of February shall forever be a highlight of my personal calendar as a feminist and also in the history of the women’s movement in Zimbabwe…. CONTINUE reading >
A MOMENT OF CLARITY by Jason Sywak, Campaign Project Manager I am not an expert in the anti-violence against women movement. Of course, I knew it existed and that laws don’t do enough to punish offenders or protect victims but I had no idea how much of a global epidemic violence against women is…
WATCH: Breaking The Male Code: After Steubenville, A Call To Action
Did you miss Tuesday night’s sold out event? Now you can WATCH ONLINE at www.vday.org/livestream. This unforgettable discussion featured Journalist and Teacher Jimmie Briggs; Emmy Award-winning musician and Co-Chair of the NoVo Foundation Peter Buffett; President of Coach for America and former football player Joe Ehrmann, A Call to Men Co-Founder Tony Porter; Sports Editor at The Nation Dave Zirin, and moderator Eve Ensler.
Tonight at 7:30pm ET, WATCH ONLINE the sold out, one night only panel discussion Breaking The Male Code: After Steubenville, A Call To Action. Presented by V-Day and The Nation, this powerful and timely discussion will feature Journalist and Teacher Jimmie Briggs, President of Coach for America and former football player Joe Ehrmann, A Call to Men Co-Founder Tony Porter, and Sports Editor at The Nation Dave Zirin, with a special introduction by Emmy Award-winning musician and Co-Chair of the NoVo Foundation Peter Buffett, and moderated by Eve Ensler.
Take a unique look inside the ONE BILLION RISING campaign from the perspective of V-Day staff, Campaign team, and ONE BILLION RISING Regional Coordinators. This ongoing blog series will feature writings from around the world, and give a glimpse into some behind-the-scenes reflections as they worked together to organize the largest global action in history to end violence against women and girls.
AN IDEA BECOMES A MANTRA BECOMES A RISING by Susan Celia Swan, V-Day Executive Director I can remember when Eve first called about One Billion Rising from Congo… CONTINUE reading >
TURNING A NEW LEAF: SOMALIA RISING by Fartuun Adan, Regional Coordinator The venue of our main event was a public courtyard located in one of the more recently liberated districts of Mogadishu… CONTINUE reading >
MEXICO RISING by Andrés Naime, Regional Coordinator I live in the country where “nothing happens”. Everybody is in constant pursuit of happiness and trying to stay blindsided regarding violence as a part of everyday life… CONTINUE reading >
48: RISING ONLINE WITH THE WORLD by Jonathan Archer, Social Media Team I joined V-Day four weeks before One Billion Rising, in a Mission District coffee shop… CONTINUE reading >
WHAT CELEBRATING A V-DAY ANNIVERSARY LOOKS LIKE by Laura Waleryszak, V-Day College & Community Campaigns Manager The last time V-Day celebrated an anniversary, I was sitting behind a glass window in the New Orleans Arena box office… CONTINUE reading >
KE FEDETSE: V-GIRLS RISING SOUTH AFRICA by Ratanang Mogotsi V-Girl (South Africa) When the V-Girls enter the Constitution Hill, on February 14, we were stunned to see no one dancing… CONTINUE reading >
Join us for an evening with Yanar Mohammed of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, as well as Iraq Veterans Against the War’s Director of Organizing, Maggie Martin, who will have jointly launched an initiative calling for reparations for the Iraqi people as well as veterans’ right to heal on March 19th, 10 years to the day from the start of the U.S. invasion. The evening will also explore conditions and organizing happening in Iraq now, veteran-led organizing looking forward, as well as how that all relates to local struggles for resources and against racism. To that end, Nisrin Elamin of the Girfina youth movement and past co-coordinator of the Support Darfur network will be offering her perspective on international solidarity. Finally, Senor Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, Pam Spees, will be speaking about CCR’s important role in this initiative. Playwright and V-Day founder Eve Ensler will introduce Yanar Mohammed while Ali Issa, national field organizer with War Resisters League will be moderating.
Yanar Mohammed is president and co-founder of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI). She graduated from Baghdad University in 1984 and received a Master’s degree in Architecture in 1993. The Baghdad-based OWFI formed in 2003 and has since its founding put out the newspaper Al Mousawat, of which Yanar Mohammed is the chief editor. A radio station, also called Al Mousawat, the prevention of the trafficking of Iraqi women, as well as building a call for reparations from the U.S. government to the Iraqi people have been among OWFI’s many recent projects.
Maggie Martin is an Iraq veteran and the Director of Organizing at Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). She has an MA in Social justice from Marygrove College. Maggie deployed to Iraq in 2003 and in 2005 before leaving the military in 2006 and joining IVAW. Maggie works on campaigns and chapter development in IVAW and with our partner organizations, she participated in the Marches on the 2008 DNC and RNC as well as the 2012 NATO medal return. She provides training and leadership development to our members and creates opportunities for new leaders in this work.
Nisrin Elamin is currently a graduate student in Anthropology focusing on foreign land acquisitions in Sudan and the ways in which people are promoting and resisting the privatization of land. She is also the member of Sisterhood for Peace (a diaspora network of Sudanese women activists), and the Girifna youth movement. In the past she co-coordinated the Support Darfur network which supported Sudanese led organizing efforts through resources and connections.
Pam Spees is a senior staff attorney in the international human rights program with the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Ali Issa is the national field organizer with War Resisters League and is a contributor to the Ezine Jadaliyya on Iraqi social movements. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Eve Ensler is the renowned author of The Vagina Monologues and founder of V-Day: A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls.
V-Day expresses its strong support for the workers in Bangladesh killed when a building, housing several garment factories manufacturing clothing for American and European companies, collapsed on April 25th. The collapse of Rana Plaza building in Savar, an industrial suburb of Dhaka, has killed over 300 people to date, mostly young women workers – and has injured over 2,000 – with the death toll rising by the hour.
Girls were radiant and extremely proud to show everything they learned at City of Joy. Theatre and songs were used. Some of my favorite Congolese actors here surprised me by coming and played the role of a wife coming back home after being raped, healed at Panzi hospital and trained at City of Joy. It was just excellent.
“A masterpiece. Ensler has accomplished the impossible: weaving together huge, bold, world-changing ideas with beautiful writing, amazing metaphors, and original structure. Truly one of the most courageous and original works of our time.”
