1 Billion Risgin 2016 Feb 14th Atrium Cafe UCLAN
Jan, 21 2016
~We all love our wives, girlfriends and partners, right? You’d think so. It’s hard to consider ever beating or sexually assaulting your other half in a loving relationship built on trust and forgiveness. The reality is though that 1 in 3 women in the world will be beaten or raped during their lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS.
So, you may be thinking what’s been done or what’s going to be done for women across the globe to stand up for their rights and maintain their identity and worth in their daily life.
Since Valentines Day ( February 14th ) 2012 a strong initiative has been created for women to collectively unite and make a strong defiance for the abuse they have suffered.
The following year 2013,’Rise’ began. This saw women expressing their outrage through dance on a monumental global scale.
In 2014, the campaign intensified and was then called, ‘ One billion rising for Justice’, which focused on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence, and highlighted the impunity that lives at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy.
Last year ( 14th February 2015) saw the movement reach a staggering 200 countries gathering for the name coined ‘ Rise for Revolution’, to change the paradigm, demand accountability, justice and systematic CHANGE.
UCLAN and the CCGUK have played a prominent role in the journey of this campaign since 2012, it has been host to the event and held an appropriate venue for the dancing each consecutive year. Russell Hogarth co-founder and chair of the UCLan Creative Communities Group (CCGUK) which organised the gathering, commented:
“Helen Butler, founder of the website Feminine and Fabulous which supports women who are feeling unfulfilled and depressed, kindly brought this event to the attention of the CCGUK again this year. We were delighted by the number of people who turned up to take part in this global dance event to highlight the shocking global statistics of one billion and rising violent attacks against women.
He concludes by expressing his appreciation for those involved and the message the event delivered,
“This year we joined forces live on the web with Creative Communities Group colleagues in Nigeria who danced alongside us, and dance instructor and World Salsa dance champion Phil Kaila and Salsa Northwest helped us with the routine accompanied by live music. It was a fun and entertaining event that raised awareness of a serious issue at the same time.”
That was then, this is now. The 2016 dance extravaganza takes place once again on Valentines day February 14th. It will continue with the theme of revolution with a call to focus on marginalised women and to bring national and international focus to their issues; to bring in new artistic energy; to amplify Revolution as a call for system change to end violence against women and girls; to call on people to rise for others, and not just for ourselves.
It will take place between 11 am - 1pm and an additional 240 countries around the world will be taking part too. It will be held at the Atrium café at UCLAN and early reports suggest the UCLAN press will be reporting on the morning’s activities and a number of VIP guests will be on hand for moral support.
You can view previous campaigns promotional videos by logging on to :-
http://youtu.be/gl2AO-7Vlzk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AUYdrhoDfE
You can also look at last years press release which may give you an idea how the morning will play out this year, UCLan 2015 Press Release.
For more information on the one billion rising campaign log on to :- http://www.onebillionrising.org
Break the chain of physical and sexual abuse towards women around the world and help to dance for one billion rising on Sunday February 14th 2016 between 11am -1pm at the Atrium café UCLAN. Your part could change lives.
