Millions Continue to be Raped and Tortured: As The World Rise on to End Domestic Violence

Eve Ensler

 

Eve Ensler, founder of V-DAY, a global movement to end violence against women and girls told journalists how women are preparing to take actions to end violence across the planet, making reference to GAMCOTRAP, a women's right NGO based in The Gambia, who is rising because FGM affects girls and women

“So in Gambia, for example, I know (GAMCOTRAP) an amazing group of organizers are working to stop female genital mutilation and fighting for the laws and fighting for the support of communities because that’s the work they are doing” she said.

On the issue how economic crises affects women she said the movement to end violence against women and the movement fighting for wage increases are completely integrated movements, “nd I think that’s happening in a lot of places where people are saying, we can’t end violence against women unless we look at the economy and how we are treating 99% of the people, and the fact that 99% of the people are living in stress and difficulty”

She asked everybody to make pledges on February 14 of what they are going to do for the next year to end violence against women and girls, what they are going to personally do and what they will do in terms of working with organizations that they work with.

Eve asked the media to get involved in the event and make the rising more than just a single day of action. 

 Eve was on from Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo to talk about the One Billion Rising campaign during the press conference held in New York, where journalists were connected through a telephone call for about two hours.

According to the one billion rising website, the rising is a global strike, an invitation to dance,
a call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends, and an act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power
“One billion women violated is an atrocity. One billion women dancing is a revolution. It is the same dark energy of fear and hatred and pain expressed in violence toward women that rapes and plunders the planet” it stated.

In Gambia, women, under the leadership of GAMCOTRAP also look unto celebrating this day in a more progressive fashion.In the Kanifing Municipality, Young people will have a march pass, symposium and will rise to sing and dance to celebrate their courage to say No to Violence against Women. At Soma, in the Lower River Region, Sangkalangba, a women’s kafoo will launch its songs on FGM and there will be a phone in on Violence Against Women at Soma Community Radio.

I just—I feel like if we don’t have a mindset change with men and how men perceive women and treat women and think about women and touch women and act towards women, we will never see an end to violence against women. And I think one of the things that men must really do, the good men – because there are many good men who don’t rape women or beat women or put women down – they have to come forward and they have to start fighting for this issue as hard as women are. “We’re not raping ourselves, you know? And if men do not come forward to make this their issue, to fight for their daughters, to fight for their wives and their girlfriends and their sisters, this is never going to change”

So one thing I would really hope that the media starts to do is to cover what’s really going on, and also to cover the activists and to cover the people who are doing amazing work to change it, because I think sometimes what people don’t see is all the incredibly good stuff that’s happening, the change that’s happening, the people who are rising up in their communities.

 Author: Binta. A. Bah