One Billion Rising Revolution 2015: Big no to Violence

One in three women on the planet is violated, beaten or raped.

This is one billion women!!

It is the Biggest War ever and it takes place within our homes and communities.

Patriarchal structures and mindsets are responsible for this war on women.

In addition, we now have modern, capitalist patriarchy, corporate media, mindless consumerism, cosmetic industries, and garish weddings with exorbitant dowries that objectify women and girls on the one hand and make our boys and men violent and greedy, on the other.

The female to male ratio in India continues to fall especially amongst the rich and educated.

One Billion Rising is a global campaign to transform patriarchal structures and end violence against women and girls.

On 14th February 2013 and 2014, people in 207 countries got together and said

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! NO MORE VIOLENCE. This is the largest mobilization on any issue on planet earth.

In South Asia, young, old, urban, rural, women, men and children have been participating in this global movement.

The world is getting ready to RISE again on 14th February 2015, and this year, we are calling it a ONE BILLION RISING REVOLUTION.

One Billion Rising Revolution is an escalation of the first two stages of our campaign - One Billion Rising and One Billion Rising for Justice. We’ve danced. We’ve demanded justice. Now we are demanding changes.

OBR is a call to survivors, their families and friends to break their silence and release their stories through art, music, dance, marches, ritual, spoken word, and testimonies.

We RISE on 14th February which is Valentine’s Day. Saint Valentine spoke of love some 2000 years ago. So did Saints like Kabir, Nannak, Buddha. All of them have given the message of love. We believe it is only through love that we can remove violence from our lives, and not through more violence. We need JUST love, love based on justice, equality and mutual respect.

Behind all violence and domination is love of power. We wish to respond with the Power of Love.

We have been inviting boys and men to understand that patriarchy does not harm only women. It also harms them in many ways. They also suffer from male violence since so many boys and gentle men are sexually abused by others. Boys and men are also stereotyped, they too have limited choices and patriarchy imposes many dos and don’ts on them also. They are not allowed to cry, to express their emotions, with the result that they do not know how deal with their emotions. At the smallest provocation they get in to a rage. Boys and men are trained to be violent, aggressive, dominating. They are not taught to be loving and caring. The result is that hundred percent rapists are men, most terrorists, suicide bombers, traffic offenders, criminals are men. We believe men are not born violent. They are made violent by patriarchy. Men have to RISE to save themselves from patriarchy, to save their humanity.

RISING with songs on our Lips and Dance in our Bodies

One Billion Rising is unique since we use artistic expressions to say no to violence. We are rising as survivors and not as victims. Because patriarchy has imprisoned our bodies, violate and maimed them, we rise dancing with liberated, free bodies. Singing and dancing and slogan shouting are collective activities. They join us to others. They energize. They are not just mental activities. Our bodies, mind and heart come together. Passion is expressed. To remove patriarchy we need passion, we need energy, and we need solidarity. OBR is all this for us.

A vast amount of cultural expressions have emerged from OBR all over the world, like theater, street theater, dances of all varieties, flash mobs, slogans, poetry, musics, raps. Young and old, men and women have been involved. A large number of men and boys have joined this movement.

Because of the use of dance and other art forms a lot of young people have joined this campaign.

OBR 2015 being Launched in Nepal

Because a one month long feminist capacity building course of Sangat- A South Asian Feminist Network is being held at TEWA, in Dhapakhel and the Core Group of Sangat is having its meeting also here, there will be about 55 women from ten countries of Asia, it has been decided to launch OBR 2015 in Kathmandu. In 2012 also the OBR launch took place here at which hundreds of activists, political leaders like Shri Madhav Nepal, Hisila Yami, Binda Pande, legal luminaries like Sapana Pradhan Malla, leaders of the women’s movement like Indira Shrestha, Rita Thapa, Bandana Rana, Renu Rajbhandari, human rights activists, participated. On 28th September again about 800 people are expected at the Academy Hall in Kamaladi foir the launch.

On this occasion the global Director of One Billion Rising Ms. Monique Wilson will speak and perform, Kamla Bhasin the South Asia Coordinator of OBR and Global Co President of Peace Women Across the Globe, will speak and so will many local leaders.

On the same evening, to celebrate social commitment, the Meeto Memorial Award will be conferred on Ani Choying, the young Buddhist Nun, singer, social activist.

The second Sunila Abeysekera memorial Lecture will also be delivered by Professor Charlotte Bunch, an eminent academic, writer, human rights activist and the founder of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Rutgers University. Sunila Abeysekera who passed away in 2013 was an eminent human rights activist. A national of Sri Lanka, Sunila was a global citizen. In 1998, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of UN Human Rights Declaration Koffi Anan, the UN Secretary General honored two human rights defenders from the world, one was Nelson Mandela and other Sunila.

Every justice and peace lover is invited to join this global REVOLUTION and demand JUSTICE everywhere!

Let us begin with our families, communities, schools and colleges.

Let us mobilize for the biggest RISING ever on 14th February, 2015, for justice, love and Peace.
NOT LOVE OF POWER

POWER OF LOVE