Did you know that one out of every three women will be beaten or raped in her lifetime? That is one billion women!
This was a statistic that both knocked me off my feet and brought tears to my eyes. I am a mother of three beautiful, vibrant young women and that statistic hits much too close to my heart.
This is not a statistic you can ignore and think it is someone else’s problem (or only happens in impoverished areas or countries).
I love what Eve Ensler is doing about it. She has started a movement called One Billion Rising and they are working to end violence against women. Each year, they ask women around the world to come together to sing and dance raising their voice in union.
Here is what she says about it:
“We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.” – Eve Ensler
At last week’s Academy Awards, President Obama, in his recorded message, asked those in the entertaining arts to help end violence against women and girls through their power over our cultural view of what is normal.
Changing this is a group activity. Only when we stand together can we actually change this horrific statistic. A woman individually can attempt to remove herself from violence, but women collectively can create a power that changes it permanently. Men raised by strong women–who are not abused–are less likely to abuse. Girls raised by compassionate men–who do not abuse–are less likely to get into an abusive relationship.
Look around your own community. Are there groups you can help? Are there programs in your schools to help empower the girls? What might you do that could make a difference? Every act helps. Every step that empowers our young women and demonstrates to our young men women’s value takes us closer to the world Eve speaks of–a world where violence is unthinkable!
