All rise to end violence against women

By Rashika Fazali

This Valentine’s Day, there will be a lot more to it than just the celebration of love. There will be a revolution, a global rising, a stand to end violence against women. It will be a day of unity amongst women and the men who love them to strongly oppose gender based violence.

One Billion Rising (OBR), a global campaign by women for women, along with global activist movements organises V-Day on 14 February, a ground-breaking uprising that will make countries, governments, cities and people act towards protecting women against violence which is forced upon them because they are women.

Did you know that one in three women will be harassed, rape, abused or beaten up in their lifetime? Out of a world population of seven billion, one billion women will be subjected to violence.

Speaking on this sad, but shocking truth, OBR Sri Lanka Coordinator Tehani Ariyaratne stated that it was Eve Ensler who started the campaign for one billion to rise up against gender based violence.

She added: “They always do something on 14 February because it’s the day of love and they are trying to turn that into an expression of support for women who have undergone gender based violence.”

Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, violence towards women is a repeated occurrence. Statistics show that in 2012, there was a 6% increase in the sexual abuse of women and girls, with at least 700 incidents of sexual abuse cases reported in the first half of 2012. It has also been revealed that 90% of women are abused when using public transport and a woman is raped every 90 minutes in Sri Lanka.

So what do women have to do to put an end to this kind of unacceptable behaviour? OBR Sri Lanka only asks for one thing – your undying support.

They will kick off their campaign on 12 February at the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) at 5 p.m. where they will have a discussion on ‘Violence against Women in Sinhala Cinema’.

On the 15th anniversary of the V-Day movement which falls on Valentine’s Day, OBR Sri Lanka will have a demonstration on the state of violence against women in Sri Lanka at 4.30 p.m. at the Lipton Circus followed by a candlelight vigil dedicated to the women who have been raped, abused and killed due to gender based violence. Everyone is welcome to join the movement and are requested to wear red, black or pink as they are official colours of the movement.

If you are unable to make it for that, then head over to the Barefoot Café on 16 February at 7 p.m. and shave your head! Organised by Grassrooted Trust, ‘Shear Madness’ is a program that invites people of either gender to shave their head to raise money for Sri Lanka’s marginalised and vulnerable women and girls.

In my opinion, madness for a good cause is good. On the other hand, if that seems too extreme for you, then the Melomanic Sessions happening at 6.30 p.m. at the Warehouse Project on 16 February is just the right event for you to contribute towards OBR.

Ariyarathne added: “We will have an information table and also have a photo booth where people can tell us their reasons to rise.” There are also individual events happening in Batticola and Jaffna.

‘Reasons to rise’ is another campaign – an online Facebook campaign OBR Sri Lanka does. Supporters can contribute and show their support by submitting their reasons on why they have decided to join and help the campaign.

Ariyarathne revealed that they received many reasons in different forms: “Some people wrote us an email, some sent us artwork, a couple of people wrote songs which are now on YouTube.”

One supporter, Sharmila Samarawickrama, gave her reason on why she is rising: “I am rising because I believe that no woman deserves to be a victim of abuse. So come join me and let’s stop this together, forever!”

Another, Clementine Macmillan-Scott said: “I rise because it is time that women feel safe in this world in whatever way they think, dress, speak or dance. Women must not fear the reality of being a woman in a world which belongs to them.”

The world will dance to end violence on 14 February, but that does not mean that OBR’s journey stops there. Ariyathratne said: “It’s not a one-off thing. We want to continue the whole idea of the campaign beyond the event on the 14th even if we don’t call it OBR. We want to carry on this kind of movement against gender based violence.”

She further added that if anyone is interested in starting their own event in support of the OBR Campaign, they are definitely free to do so.

Over 180 countries have initiated the OBR campaign. OBR Sri Lanka was launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 25 November, last year.

Pic by Indu Bandara