It’s Valentine’s Day again, and I find myself bombarded by the claptrap that usually surrounds this most confounded of all holidays. This is supposed to be a day to celebrate love and kindness, but it seems we get caught up in the most inane aspects of human relationships.
A welcome departure from the manufactured feel of Valentine’s Day is V-Day. V-Day is a social movement, a movement to end violence against women and girls worldwide.
There are few things I can imagine that are more odious than the battering of women. We live in a society where rape, incest and other violent crimes against women occur with such frequency that the reporting is often downplayed.
According to the United Nations Study on the Status of Women, a woman is battered every 15 seconds, usually by her intimate partner. We’ve all read startling and sickening statistics such as this before.
A few more statistics which strike closer to home can be found on the Dane County Coordinated Community Response for Sexual Assault webpage: 92 percent of all sexual assaults are committed by someone know to the victim; 60 percent of assaults occur within the victim or offender’s home; and in only 57 percent of the crimes is an offender arrested.
How about some numbers from campus: 1 out of 8 women on this campus will be raped before graduating; 9 out of 10 women who are raped do not report it; 16- to 25-year-old women are 3 times more likely than any other age group to be assaulted; and 1 in 12 college men admit fitting the prevailing criteria for rape, although practically none consider themselves rapists.
It can happen to you. The next time you are with a group of friends, think about the fact that one of you may be raped or has been raped. There are many places to get help with issues such as this. The Rape Crisis Center, the Campus Women’s Center and other organizations are there to provide support.
The situations have to stop. By promoting awareness and stressing the importance of reporting, these crimes the violence can end.
V-Day is a positive program that gives people the opportunity to help the cause of ending brutality toward women.
Started in 1998, V-Day has given millions of dollars to organizations that work to stop violence against women. Funds come from performances of the much-acclaimed play “The Vagina Monologues” as well as from corporations and other foundations. Last year “The Vagina Monologues” was staged in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. This year the V-Day College Campaign has invited colleges and universities around the world to present a benefit production of “The Vagina Monologues.”
With over 250 cities participating and 800 productions scheduled, this year proves to be successful in promoting the message. “The Vagina Monologues” will play Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Memorial Union Theater at 8 p.m. We can all support this local effort to bring the issues to the forefront.
Today forget about the humdrum Hallmark predictability of Valentine’s Day and celebrate V-Day in honor of all those who have struggled to make the world safer for women.
James P. Kent ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in economics and business management.
