With every 1 in 3 women being subject to rape or beaten in their lifetimes, that is, about one billion women in the world face violence, says a survey. In response to this, the One Billion Rising (OBR) global campaign was started by eminent feminist playwright, Eve Ensler, on Valentine’s Day in 2012 to call for a radical shift in this narrative.
The OBR West Bengal Chapter came together to celebrate this year’s One Billion Rising at Bangur Park, Kolkata, to pledge a shared commitment towards a violence-free world, free from patriarchy and celebrate love through music, art and dance, on 14 February.
Each year the global campaign follows a unifying theme. This year’s theme is Rise for Freedom. The campaign aims to create a culture where they collectively share in the commitment to end violence towards women, gender nonconforming and gender expansive people, dismantle patriarchy, cultivate care, community, trust and compassion.
In India, different states have their own chapters, which celebrate the day. The OBR, in India, is working on gender based violence and women’s rights.
“We chose this day to highlight that one day, there is love shown for women but on the other 364 days there is violation of their basic rights. It is interesting to see that young men and boys are becoming sensitive to these issues. There are a lot of discussions on questioning masculinity. These men and boys think that raising their voices against violence against women has made them more human as they are able to challenge their masculine traits. These masculine traits they realize are based on patriarchy and on false notions. As a result their relationship with female colleagues, friends and family members has improved,” said Seema Sreeniwas of Swayam.