Last
year in Italy, one woman died every three days as a result of domestic
violence. While this is a sobering statistic particularly in a first-world
country, the problem is certainly not unique to Italy. Domestic violence
affects a staggering number of women worldwide: one in three women in the world
will be raped or beaten during her life, about 1 billion women, a figure that
the One Billion Rising campaign (www.onebillionrising.org)
rightly signals as an atrocity.
To
raise awareness and money, and to put out an urgent call for action, the
campaign is organizing a global dance flash mob in major cities across the
world on February 14 at 3pm, rain or shine. In Florence, the event will take
place piazza della Repubblica. Anyone and everyone is invited to participate in
this ‘dance revolution’ as a show of solidarity, a demand for change and a
refusal to accept such atrocities against women.
Those
who wish to participate by dancing can learn the steps by watching the video at
http://tinyurl.com/apoylwq, while
those who wish to attend but not dance are asked to wear black with pink or
red.
Whether
you dance or watch, show your support and contribute a donation to the
Florence-based women’s crisis centre Artemisia.
The
event, organized in collaboration with the Global Theatre Project, the American
consulate, the Equal Opportunities Department of the City of Florence and the
Robert Kennedy Foundation, aims to involve those of all nationalities in
Florence, including the many American students studying here.
The
One Billion Rising campaign, which involves more than 182 countries, was
initiated by activist and playwright Eve Ensler, famous for her play The Vagina Monologues. February 14 marks
the 15th anniversary of her V-day movement, an initiative that uses plays,
films and festivals to raise money and awareness to benefit female victims of
violence and sexual abuse.
The
problem is an increasing one in Italy: cases of severe domestic violence are on
the rise, from 87 deaths in 2005 to 120 last year. Moreover, according to the
latest data from hospitals, the police and help centres, more than 90 percent
of incidents of violence against women go unreported and around 30 percent of
victims never confide in anyone at all.
On
February 14, dance for women or just come out to show your support. (Contact the Global Theatre Project for more information.) And spread
the word: one billion women violated is an atrocity; one billion dancing is a
revolution.
One
Billion Rising: www.onebillionrising.org
Florence
flash mob: http://tinyurl.com/arsjwpu
V-day
movement: www.vday.org
Artemisia: http://tinyurl.com/ac6yo5h
The Global Theatre Project: www.theglobaltheatreproject.org
