Journeys to democracy

Eve Ensler, founder of the One Billion Rising movement. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian.

The well known feminist activist, playwright and actor Eve Ensler has given a call for One Billion Rising campaign that aims to mobilise and bring out one billion people on streets across the world on February 14th, 2013 against violence against women, and in celebration of women’s power (One Billion Rising on Facebook).

Noted women activists from all over South Asia, including Kamla Bhasin of Sangat, OBR’s South Asian coordinator, were at the launch in Nepal. (Photo: WFS)

This, writes Ensler, “is a call to the billion women who have been violated and the men who love them, to the women who have been beaten and raped and mutilated and burned and sold and who know the destruction of the female species heralds the end of human kind. A call to walk out of your homes, your jobs, your schools and find your friends, your group, your place and music and dance” (‘One Billion Rising: Together we can end violence against women’, op-ed in The Guardian).

Ensler’s groundbreaking ‘Vagina Monologues’ have long set the tone for what has come to be known as V-Day – taking February 14 “Valentine’s Day” beyond ribbons, flowers, chocolates and cheesy greeting cards, re-claiming it as a V-Day to express women’s empowerment. (V-Day on Facebook).On this day in 2013, people around the world will sing, dance and protest, calling for an end to violence against women and girls.

Still from the short film One Billion Rising at http://youtu.be/gl2AO-7Vlzk (*Trigger Warning*)

The One Billion Rising (OBR) campaign has already been successfully launched in Nepal (See OBR Nepal on facebook) and Bangladesh (OBR Bangladesh website). It will be launched in New Delhi, India, on Nov 24, 2012, and in Karachi, Pakistan, on December 2, 2012.

Kamla Bhasin of Sangat, the South Asian feminist network in India that is coordinating the campaign regionally, writes in an introductory email: “In India girls are being killed in the womb in the millions and 35 million women are MISSING. Rape cases seem to be on the rise in India.

See this video about South Asia Rising as part of the campaign

“We feel violence against women (VAW) is the biggest civil war in the world where a billion people are violated in one way or another,” writes Kamla.

“In India OBR is being coordinated in different states by a large number of feminist groups. We are delighted to tell you that . We are trying to make One billion Rising the biggest ever mobilisation of women, and men and children who respect and love women, to rise and say –  ENOUGH! No More Violence against girls and women.

“In addition to RISING in large numbers in some venues, people will RISE in their communities, schools, colleges and where ever else we are. OBR will not just be a PROTEST. It will be a CELEBRATION!”

For more information on this global call to action write to sangat@sangatsouthasia.org or call +91-11- 26692166

Filed under: Gender, Human rights | Tagged: Bangladesh, Eve Ensler, India, Kamla Bhasin, Nepal, OBR, One Billion Rising, Pakistan, VAW, Violence against women |