Archive for the "V-Day" Category
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What will YOU be doing on 14 February? How and where will you be rising We want to hear from you! SHARE your plans!
Here’s how some V-Day activists are celebrating ONE BILLION RISING:
“At Dominican University we are planning a Dance, Rise, Strike event. We will be engaging the entire campus, closing all classes for two hours, beginning with a rally at noon and then attendees marching to, and through, downtown San Rafael.” – Dr. Denise M. Lucy
“I am very happy for the wonderful experience for sensitizing women and girls in my community in Sierra Leon about ONE BILLION RISING Africa to stop violence for women and girls. I involved artists, women of power, and students from different secondary schools so that we can dance, sing, cry, and to say no more rape for women and girls.” – Kadiatu Kondeh
I will be rising with my students to raise awareness in Newham, East-London. In the week commencing Monday 11 February we will be discussing equality and women’s rights at our weekly Assembly. On Thursday 14 February we will rise! Our voices will be heard and nothing will keep our feet from dancing!” – Katrina McCracken
“We’re working to celebrate Chicago RISING with coordinated actions at area campuses and with local rape crisis centers!” – Sharmili Majmudar
“We are planning to perform The Vagina Monologues in Persian language in 3 different cities in Iran. The members of the V-Day team in Iran meet every 14 days in Tehran and are going to perform in private houses in different locations with selected audiences.”- Mehrdad Khameneh
“We will be rising in our lunchroom on February 14, doing a flashmob to the One Billion Rising anthem Break The Chain
. We can’t wait to show our school Girl Power!” – Kate Shelledy
“Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is hosting ONE BILLION RISING and performing The Vagina Monologues! We’re fundraising for a local women’s shelter and hope to get quite a crowd!” – Allison Anderson-Cutright-Cisneros
“In Guelph we are putting on The Vagina Monologues and after we will launch into the ONE BILLION RISING introduction – and lead into a drumming circle with chanting, and dancing!” – Heather MacRae
We want to hear from YOU! SHARE your plans >
Need RISING ideas? DOWNLOAD the toolkit >
SIGN UP to host your own ONE BILLION RISING event or JOIN an existing event >
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Whether it’s a production of The Vagina Monologues or a screening of What I Want My Words To Do To You, make sure that your February 14th V-Day benefit event is part of the ONE BILLION RISING map!
Add Your Event >
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Monday December 31st is the last day to make charitable donations in order to claim them on your 2012 tax return. Please consider V-Day in your end of year giving plans. 87 cents of every dollar you give goes to ending violence against women and girls. V-Day received a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator this year.
Support the global movement to end violence against women and girls, DONATE to V-Day >
CLICK HERE for the 2012 Annual Report – The Path To One Billion >
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A few weeks ago Eve embarked on a multi-country tour, which will take her from the Philippines, to India, to France, and more as she makes her way towards ONE BILLION RISING on February 14, 2013. We are pleased to share with you her first blog update of photos, videos, and words from her most recent stop in Manila, with ONE BILLION RISING Regional Coordinator and long time V-Day activist Monique Wilson:
Some call it a slum, some say dump site.
A mountain made of garbage.
The dumpsite is owned by private contractors
They charge 100 pesos for a permit and 150 pesos
For a uniform. Even the garbage has been taken from the people.
Girls as young as 8 sell their bodies
to the men who guard the garbage for the right to scavenge it
There was a landslide of garbage
The mountain fell
On the village and disappeared 600 people.
They never found them
Their bodies burned inside because it was so hot from the bio gas.
A garbage volcano
Erupting, turning the people to bone
CONTINUE READING >
In the Press:
Women activists dance vs violence against women, GMA News >
A Billion Women Dancing, By Rina Jimenez-David, Philippine Daily Inquirer >
American Playwright Eve Ensler Celebrates Approval Of RH Bill, Manila Bulletin >
Monique Wilson speaks up vs violence against women, Inquirer Lifestyle >
Dance against violence, Business World Online >
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ONE BILLION RISING Regional Coordinator Monique Wilson and her incredible team have created the next ONE BILLION RISING short film for the Philippines. From the comfort women who suffered sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation to domestic workers subjected to assault and isolation by their employers, to systemic causes of intimate partner abuse, the Philippines has had enough of violence against women. Watch as they RISE in this powerful new film.
Thank you to DM9 Jayme Syfu for one Billion Rising Philippines for coordinating lyrics, musicians!
WATCH One Billion Rising Philippines Short Film >
DON’T MISS: The Making of the One Billion Rising Philippines Film >
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http://www.theweekendleader.com/Causes/1465/Women-rising.html
By Pamela Philipose
It was the night of March 29, 1978. A young woman in Hyderabad, Rameeza Bee, was subjected to rape by three policemen and her husband beaten to death for resisting them. Public outrage and frenzy brought the city to a halt the following day.
Rameeza Bee is just one more name in the long, never-ending roll call of survivors of violence against women in India. That egregious assault on her is only one among countless others – many of them unaccounted, unacknowledged, unpunished – that women in the country have fought against.
Violence has, in fact, been a major trope in women’s activism in the country and today, almost 25 years after that Hyderabad episode, that same battle is still on. The intervening years may have seen the passage of progressive laws and the building of movements against such crimes, but it is also true that the violence itself has taken on newer forms and has been manifesting itself in ever more numerous corners of the country.
Just one figure captures this reality. Going by the National Crime Records Bureau figures, incidents of rape in India have risen by 873 per cent between 1953 and 2011.
Over the last few months, the One Billion Rising (OBR) campaign has revisited the theme of violence against women in locations all over India, ranging from Madurai to Delhi and Mumbai to Bhubaneswar, and has done this in ways that reflect the creativity and energy of young activists and the steadfast commitment of an older generation of feminists.
The campaign began with a global call from American playwright and activist, Eve Ensler, to people around the world – men and children included – to root out violence against women and join in a global day of action on February 14, 2013. Over 5,000 groups in 161 countries supported the idea, whether they were resisting mining in the Philippines or female genital mutilation in Kenya; whether they were supporting survivors of acid attacks in Bangladesh or demanding new legislation on women’s rights in the UK.
Kamla Bhasin, whose organisation, Sangat, is the South Asian coordinator for the OBR campaign, argues that global campaigns are important because they infuse energy into national movements.
“I always feel that normally when I am working, I am like a drop of water. But once I am part of a global campaign, I suddenly feel like an ocean. Let’s spread the idea, stand up together against violence, using all the imaginative and cultural resources at our command,” she says.
Interestingly, even groups that have voiced reservations about foreign campaigns have come around to this view. As Gargi Chakravartty, working president of the National Federation of Indian Women, the women’s wing of the Communist Party of India, puts it, “It’s high time that women, irrespective of their affiliations, come together and rally around the central issues of the day. The OBR campaign is one such process, whether you call it a celebration or a struggle!”
There is widespread recognition that attacks and assaults on women, whether within the home or in the public space, are embedded in existing social structures. While Chakravartty argues that poverty itself amounts to structural violence, Vimal Thorat, convenor of the All India Dalit Mahila Manch, believes that campaigns like OBR should also recognise the violence perpetrated by the caste system.
Elaborates Thorat, “Take the Mirchpur case in Haryana, where a 70-year-old dalit man and his physically challenged daughter were set ablaze in 2010. It had all begun when a dog belonging to a dalit family was beaten. When the family remonstrated, the local Jat community retaliated by setting the entire dalit basti on fire. That is the kind of violence we face in India today and women invariably are the soft targets.”
Women being soft targets was chillingly demonstrated in an incident that took place on July 9, 2012, when a young teenager emerging from a local pub was set upon by a mob of young men on the streets of Guwahati, Assam.
Monisha Behal, chairperson of North East Network, looks back on that incident, “For us women of the Northeast, who have been working on issues of violence against women for decades now, what happened to that young girl was deeply disturbing because it demonstrated that women in Assam do not have any space in public life. That’s why we need to come together to say, ‘Enough!’”
‘Enough!’ – That is also a message that Bawri Devi, an activist with Action India in the resettlement Delhi colony of Jahangirpuri, would like to convey. “I am a poor woman who migrated to Delhi from Rajasthan. We were finally resettled in this colony on the margins of Delhi. Every street here has a story of violence against women. Today, this violence is taking on so many different forms and we will have to fight it in different ways as well if it has to end.”
Rashmi Singh, executive director of the Government of India’s National Mission for Women, is heartened by the effort that has gone into the OBR mobilisation. “This is about bringing different stake-holders together in a spirit of oneness, and I believe for this you also need to bring the government into the picture, because government officials should realise that violence against women is an extremely important subject of governance.”
What is singular about the OBR campaign is the energy it unleashed, a tribute particularly to the young people who have signed on. They have choreographed dances, composed slogans, struck drums, made short films, and used the internet space in creative and impactful ways.
At one point during the Delhi launch of the OBR campaign on a late November evening, noted classical and folk singer, Vidya Shah, broke into a song that had everybody in a large auditorium throw up their hands in dance. In that instant the struggle against violence had become a celebration of the will to fight it.
Anne Stenhammer, UN Women’s Regional Programme Director, believes that tough campaigns of this kind need an enjoyment quotient built into them. “At one point I was in Kosovo during the war. One of the insights I had gained then was this: Because the struggle to rebuild a war-shattered region is, by its very nature, a long-term one, it is important for those involved in that re-building process to enjoy life, re-charge themselves. That’s why the fun element of the OBR campaign is very, very important.”
With its slogan, ‘Strike, Dance, Rise’, when the body itself becomes a medium of resistance, the OBR campaign is as much about building bridges and friendships as it is about a creating a common future free of the threat of violence against women – Women’s Feature Service
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Monday December 31st is the last day to make charitable donations in order to claim them on your 2012 tax return. Please consider V-Day in your end of year giving plans. 87 cents of every dollar you give goes to ending violence against women and girls. V-Day received a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator this year.
Support the global movement to end violence against women and girls, DONATE to V-Day >
CLICK HERE for the 2012 Annual Report – The Path To One Billion >
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THE PATH TO ONE BILLION
V-Day’s 2012 Annual Report
Dear V-activists,
As 2012 draws to a close and we reflect on another successful year at V-Day, we are deeply grateful to you, our activists, supporters, colleagues, and RISERS! Your generosity and continued commitment to ending violence against women and girls humbles and excites us.
We are also so pleased to share The Path To One Billion – V-Day’s 2012 annual report, which documents an incredible and unique year in our movement as we began the journey towards our 15th Anniversary and ONE BILLION RISING on 14 February 2013.
In an effort to be sustainable, we are offering the report in an interactive online format. We hope you enjoy it.
CLICK HERE for the 2012 Annual Report – The Path To One Billion
As you bring V-Day forward into your communities, we ask that you consider supporting V-Day financially. Every donation you make ensures art and activism is a vital element to empower women and girls worldwide. We are so lucky to have you with us. You can donate online at vday.org/donate
With deepest gratitude and V-love,
Eve, Susan, Cecile, Christine, Purva, Shael, Tony, Kate, Amy, Laura, Nikki, Carl, & David
Support the global movement to end violence against women and girls
DONATE to V-Day* >
CLICK HERE for the 2012 Annual Report – The Path To One Billion
REQUEST a paper copy of the Annual Report >
*December 31st is the last day to make charitable donations in order to claim them on your 2012 tax return. 87 cents of every dollar you give goes to ending violence against women and girls. V-Day received a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator this year.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED? HERE ARE 5 EASY ACTIONS:
– VIEW the 2012 Annual Report – The Path To One Billion >
– Sign up for ONE BILLION RISING >
– CHECK OUT Emotional Creature Off-Broadway >
– WATCH & SHARE the ONE BILLION RISING Short Film & Music Video
– DONATE to V-Day >
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Eve Ensler responds to Michigan Senate’s passing of the Anti-Abortion House Bill 5711:
“Women across the nation and the world are watching what’s happening in Michigan. I was honored to be in Michigan in May when thousands of women and men came out on the Capitol Steps to protest this type of legislation, and thousands more tweeted, wrote blogs and emails across the state and the world in support. I stand with State Senators Gretchen Whitmer and Rebekah Warren and the women of Michigan in support of women’s rights to their bodies and their freedom to speak. Governor Snyder must stand up to this extremist attack on women’s healthcare by vetoing this terrible legislation. Remember the most recent election. Women vote and last election we voted out those who did not support our rights. It will happen again. I promise.”
– Eve Ensler, Playwright and Founder of V-Day
Here are links to videos of Sen. Warren and Sen. Whitmer speaking out on the bills:
Whitmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgTQEpQ3Yc8
Warren: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Z-fI_gaNQ
WATCH: Rally at the Michigan Capitol – June 18, 2012 >
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Limited Edition ONE BILLION RISING Tank Top
Available now is a limited edition ONE BILLION RISING Tank Top, as seen worn by Anne Hathaway on the January 2013 cover of GLAMOUR magazine.
The Monrow Narrow Opaque Tank is hand made and printed in the USA, and is available while supplies last. Proceeds from sales go towards V-Day’s ONE BILLION RISING campaign.
BUY here >
READ Eve’s interview with Anne here >
Marisols
Marisol umbrellas are the response by artist Miranda Leigh, to the terrible suffering of the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each Marisol is cut, sewn, and assembled by survivors of domestic violence in Brooklyn, New York. A portion of proceeds benefits our sisters at the City of Joy, a healing and training center in Bukavu, Eastern Congo, sustained by V-Day.
This holiday season, 50% of the sale of each Marisol umbrella will be donated to the City of Joy.
Please visit www.marisols.org to place your order. To ensure delivery in time for the holidays, ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 14th.
Holiday V-Card
A V-Card supports the worldwide movement to end violence against women and girls and is the perfect gift for the Holidays!
Make a donation to V-Day on behalf of your friends and loved ones. V-Day will send a specially designed 2012 holiday V-Card letting them know of their unique gift.
To send a V-Card on the donate page, check the box next to “Donate on behalf of a loved one?” labeled “Yes, I would like to send a V-Day e-card” and fill in the rest of the information to finish designing your gift.
ONE BILLION RISING – Custom Merchandise from Spreadshirt
Now that you’re rising, dress the part! From t-shirts and sweatshirts, to mugs and scarves, we have lots of ways for you to show your ONE BILLION RISING pride. Check out our online store today!