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violence against women Archives - ChangingMedia

Feb 13
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A Rising Tide of Social Change

By | ChangeEngine, Social Enterprise, The Thagomizer | No Comments

What are you doing on Valentine’s Day this year? Are you crafting for good? Are you celebrating the birth of Anna Howard Shaw? Or are your rising up to end violence against women?

In yesterday’s inspiring post Shannon McGarry highlighted one of the many troubles women face as a result of widespread violence. One line particularly stuck with me, “Being able to go to the toilet without the fear of rape, sexual assault, physical abuse or humiliation is a human right.”

Yep, women have to fight for the right to shit.

Around the world women are denied basic human rights through violence. They are made weapons of war, exploited for economic opportunity, denied access to healthcare, and stripped of legal and economic power.

Lest we believe America is free of concern, let me remind you that one in five young women have been sexually assaulted. Factoring in unreported rapes, about 6 percent of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. Somewhere in America a woman becomes a victim of violence, usually by her intimate partner, every 15 seconds. As the proud owner of a vagina myself I’d like to be able to walk down my street, take a hike, or go to a party without fear of sexual harassment or violation.

So I’m here to reissue Shannon’s invitation to join One Billion Rising. In response to the one billion women who have suffered from violence, we are joining the movement and inviting one billion women and those who love them to come out, dance, rise up, and demand an end to this violence.

If you are in Baltimore join us this Thursday, February 14, also known as Valentine’s Day at 5:30pm at the Washington Monument. We’ll have signs, music, and plenty of energy to draw attention to this important issue. This is a time for Baltimore women and those that love them to stand up and support one another!  You can find further event details here and in the flyer below. If you are not in Baltimore never fear! There are women rising everywhere! You can find an event in your area using this map.

OBR-Flier

Sure we’re not going to stop violence against women with one day of dancing and jubilation but we can call attention to this issue. We can come together and turn a statistic into a revolution. We can stand with the one billion women violated and become over a billion for change, for equality, for an end to violence.

Will you rise with us?

Feb 12
0

No Toilets, No Peace

By | Health, Oh Shit! | One Comment

Sanitation and women’s rights are closely entwined. West Virginia barred women from jury duty until 1956, claiming courthouses lacked female toilets. In 1994 a Texan firm fired dozens of women rather than provide extra lavatories. Until 1993, female senators had to jostle with the tourists visiting Capitol Hill because no rest rooms were assigned to them.

In developing countries, unequal provision means more than just discomfort. Millions of women are forced to walk long distances to find some privacy, or wait for the cover of darkness before they can relieve themselves. Even though it is a basic need common to every human being, frightening experiences of violence that create fear, shame, and anger are not uncommon.

According to WaterAid, more than one in three women worldwide are living without even a basic pit latrine. Of these, 526 million women have no choice but to go to the toilet out in the open. One in three women (over one billion women worldwide) will also experience physical, sexual or emotional violence in her lifetime. For the world’s poorest women and girls, these two basic human rights violations often go hand in hand. One in three women is a shockingly high figure. The combination of insufficient sanitation, and violence against women, which both stem from gender-based discrimination, could seem intractable. But, there are solutions.

One is to raise awareness and stand up against violence. One Billion Rising is a movement created by Eve Ensler, the author of the Vagina Monologues, to tackle the issue of violence against women. Risings have been planned around the world in 199 countries, creating a Feminist Tsunami. Baltimore Rising is the local response to this international movement. The local event kicks-off at 5:30pm on Thursday, February 14th at the Washington Monument (699 N. Charles St, Baltimore). Visit the Facebook page and join the movement to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. Not in Baltimore? Not a problem, click on the map to locate an event near you.

A second is for communities to get innovative with their campaigns. In Haryana, a northeastern state in India where the number of rural households with toilets has risen considerably from 29 percent in 2001 to an impressive 98 percent in the last five years, women are doing just that. The “No Toilet, No Bride” campaign, launched by the Ministry of Rural Development, has resulted in the construction of approximately 1.71 million toilets across the state. The movement takes advantage of the fact that Haryana suffers form a warped sex ratio, a result of India’s cultural preference for boys over girls. The scarcity of brides in the state helps prospective brides use their bargaining power to force their suitors to construct toilets for them before they marry.

That one in three women will experience physical and/or sexual abuse in her lifetime is unacceptable. That one in three women and girls don’t have safe access to a toilet is inexcusable. Access to safe, adequate sanitation is a basic human right. Being able to go to the toilet without the fear of rape, sexual assault, physical abuse or humiliation is a human right.

Change will not happen unless we can empower their voices. Now is the time to shout.

IMAGE CREDIT. Courtesy of Sustainable sanitation.