His Holiness The Dalai Lama Pledges Support for One Billion Rising Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls
12/13/2012
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR ONE BILLION RISING CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
V-Day Campaign Escalates, Draws Support of Thinkers, Writers, Activists, and Celebrities, as Global Day of Action Draws Near
December 13, 2012 – Today V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, announced that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has publicly expressed his support of V-Day’s ONE BILLION RISING campaign.
The ONE BILLION RISING campaign began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, V-Day’s 15th anniversary, activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities and women and men across the world will come together to express their outrage, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.
On December 8, 2012 His Holiness sent a personally signed note to campaign organizers saying:
I am happy to give my support to the One Billion Rising global campaign against violence against women and girls.
We need to use our common sense, and encourage others to use theirs, to understand what violence towards women and girls entails. There are no circumstances under which such violence can be justified; no benefit can even be achieved by violence. The only certainty is that where there is violence, always and inevitably there is suffering. Understanding that the nature of violence is suffering, leads to a clear understanding its harmfulness and futility.
When an unjust situation demands a strong response, compassion demands not that we accept injustice, but that we stake a stand against it. It does imply that such a stand should be non-violent. However, non-violence is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of self-confidence and courage.
If, on 14th February 2013, one billion people can celebrate and demonstrate against violence against women and girls, while maintaining a calm non-violence attitude themselves, in that indication of strength they will reveal the confidence that comes from having truth and justice on your side.
The Dalai’s Lama’s support is an important milestone in V-Day’s fastest escalating campaign to date. The global movement has gained unprecedented support from hundreds of thousands around the world in the lead up to February 14, 2013. To date:
- Activists in 177 countries have signed on to take action.
- Over 13,000 diverse organizations around the globe are involved, including Amnesty International USA, International Rescue Committee, NOW, Human Rights Campaign, and major unions including the AFL-CIO.
- Actors and V-Day board members Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Donna Karan, Thandie Newton, Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington along with Yoko Ono, Jessica Alba, Connie Britton, Kate Clinton, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lawrence, Dylan McDermott, Robert Redford, Lily Tomlin, Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Zoe Kravitz supporting the mission by recording PSAs and activating their networks.
- Governments and politicians around globe including the First Lady of Nepal, the Mayor of Lima, the Los Angeles City Council, British MP Stella Creasy, and many others are joining the campaign.
- Writers and thinkers including Alice Walker, Adam Hochschild, Naomi Klein, Dr. Denis Mukwege, and Christiane Northrup are raising their voices for ONE BILLION RISING.
Press Contacts: Jen Hirsch: [email protected]; 646.495.9723 and Susan Celia Swan:
[email protected]; 917.865.6603
# # #
About V-Day
V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2012, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events organized by volunteer activists in the U.S. took place around the world educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $90 million; educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it; crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns; reopened shelters; and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. Over 300 million people have seen a V-Day benefit event in their community. V-Day has received numerous acknowledgements including Worth Magazine's 100 Best Charities, Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities, one of the Top-Rated organizations on Philanthropedia/Guidestar and Great Nonprofits. www.vday.org