KATHMANDU, Sept. 20: Coalition of gender activists in South Asia, Sangat, and Sancharika Samuha have decided to jointly demonstrate the ´One Billion Rising´ on September 23 to kick-start a new campaign against all forms of sexual violence against women (VAW).
The ´One Billion Rising´ is the global movement to end violence against women and girls founded by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, her organization V-Day and it raises the voice against all forms of sexual violence against women, it was informed at a press meet in the Capital today.[break]
To Ensler, ´One Billion Rising´ is a global strike, a call to refuse to participate until rape and rape culture ends; it’s solidarity reach, a new refusal, and a new way of being."
As many as 160 countries have been affiliated in the campaign.
Sangat and its coalition networks have been launching the campaign in South Asia.
According to a report from UN, one third of the total population in the world has suffered from one or the other sort of violence or rape.
Coordinator of the Sangat, Kamala Bhasin, said around one billion population in the world have been the victim of various sorts of violence against women.
A social campaign is a must to end the violence against women and the ´One Billion Rising´ would eradicate the violence against women, she added.
The campaign was started from September 13 and Nepal would start the campaign in Kathmandu in the participation of some 50 women from Myanmar, 25 social organizations in Nepal and eight countries in the South Asia, it was informed in the press meeting.
A billion people globally would participate in the demonstrations that will be organised on February 14, 2013 and express the commitment to encourage the campaign, claimed Coordinator Bhasin.