One Billion Rising is a global campaign by women, for women

Hijam Joychandra *

ONE BILLION RISING
ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.
ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY.
ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION.

One Billion Rising is a global campaign by women, for women. The movement calls for an end to violence and for justice and gender equality.On February 14, 2013, a one-day event will be held, a call for one billion women around the world to walk away from their homes, businesses, and jobs, and join together to dance in a show of collective strength. The event will be held on the 15th anniversary of the V-Day movement. The word "billion" refers to the one billion women who are survivors of abuse.

The campaign was initiated by playwright and activist Eve Ensler (known for her play The Vagina Monologues), and her organization V-Day.V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery.

According to Eve Ensler, "One Billion Rising is an appreciation, amplification and an escalation. When One Billion bodies rise and dance on 14 February 2013, we will join in solidarity, purpose and energy and shake the world into a new consciousness. Dancing insists we take up space. It has no set direction but we go there together. It's dangerous, joyous, sexual, holy and disruptive. It breaks the rules. It can happen anywhere at anytime with anyone and everyone. It's free. No corporation can control it. It joins us and pushes us to go further. It's contagious and it spreads quickly. It's of the body. It's transcendent."

On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 14 February 2013, ONE BILLION women are inviting and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbersand our solidarity across borders.Activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities and women and men across the world will STRIKE, DANCE, and RISE, coming together to express their outrage, and demand an end to violence against women and girls.

In India, according to National Crime Record Bureau in 2011, 14.7% rape cases are registered in cities while 85% rape cases are registered in rural India; there are more than 1 lakh rape cases pending; a total of 2,28,650 women faced violence and abuse during 2007-2011 which includes rape, kidnapping, abduction, dowry death, cruelty by husbands and relatives, molestation, sexual harassment, importation of girls, immoral traffic etc. and the National capital Delhi has the highest percentage of crime rates against women which is 31.2%.

In Northeast India, a total of 13,308 incidence of crime against women had been reported according to the National Crime Records Bureau 2011 with 11503 cases in Assam, 269 cases in Meghalaya, 1358 cases in Tripura, 167 cases in Mizoram, 247 cases in Manipur, 38 cases in Nagaland, 171 cases in Arunachal Pradesh and 55 cases reported in Sikkim.

A union of social organizations namely WAD, UNMM, NEDF, NLF, SASO, LCF, WEJ, RLP, IRDC, Watch Group, COWF, SSG, CNPW, ATWO, MBSCM etc. who works for the cause of women and its empowerment will also extend solidarity by joining the One Billion Rising movement, organizing various events and entertainments on the February 14th 2013 from 1.00 pm to 5.00pm at Hafta Kangeibung (Palace Compound).

It is a call to one and all and everyone dear and near to join and participate the One Billion Rising Movementorganized by various social organizations collectively and demand to end violence against women in our society. This rising is of course and indeed a revolution for reformation. Joining and be a part of such worldwide revolution like One Billion Rising will boost the enthusiasm of finding some sorts of solution to mainstreaming the gender sensitivity and end the violence against women and girls in Manipur.

What does ONE BILLION look like? On 14 February 2013, it will look like a REVOLUTION.