[Brussels, 01 February 2013] One Billion Rising seems likely to be “the biggest feminist tsunami ever”, said Eve Ensler on tuesday 29 January 2013 at the European Parliament in Brussels.
The author of The Vagina Monologues and initiator of V-Day and One Billion Rising joined on tuesday 8 MEPs in a press conference and beautiful dance to present the biggest event ever to raise awareness and fight against violence against women. The press conference was hosted by MEP Isabelle Durant, Vice President of the EP, and other MEPs who performed “The Vagina Monologues” in March 2012 also took part, namely: Franziska BRANTNER, Marielle GALLO, Ana GOMES, Kartika LIOTARD, Ulrike LUNACEK, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN, Cecilia WIKSTRÖM.
“One Billion Rising is making violence against women impossible to ignore”, said Eve Ensler, reminding how violence against women cannot be seen as a women’s issue, but first and foremost as an issue for men and all humanity.
“Statistics are alarming in Europe as in any other part of the world and women political decision-makers have to push forward this issue regarding a vast part of women’s population”, continued Ensler, recalling how cuts in public spending are disproportionaltely affecting women.
The mobilization all over Europe is feverish and all MEPs expressed their hope that this time violence against wmen will be put higher on political agendas, ahead of next meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (scheduled for next March).
You can watch an extract of the Press Conference here.
At 12:30 MEPs gathered to dance on the tune “Break the Chain”, V-Day song for One Billion Rising. You can watch the video of the dance here.
The EWL is also participating all over Europe and in Brussels to rise up and raise awareness against violence against women: on 14 February we expect a big dancing wave shaking the whole world and calling to the eradication of this massive violation of women’s human rights.
