VAGINA NEWS UPDATE

The fight must continue! It may be summer break for you or me (well not for me really) but for women around the world and especially in the Congo, the continuation to raise awareness and funding to help end violence against women is paramount. As each day passes, more girls are raped, and more women are tortured in senseless war tactics. All women must do what they can even just by remaining informed to help end this violence. In this weeks news, vagina lovers at OSU are saddened by the reality that the U.N is not upholding its mission to protect those most vulnerable to human rights violations. Below is an excerpt from Eve's Washington post article. Please visit VDAY ARTICLE

BREAK THE SILENCE. JOIN THE MOVEMENT. VDAY...UNTIL THE VIOLENCE STOPS!


[ Resolution 1820 must be enforced with seriousness by the Security Council and the secretary general. Arrests need to be made immediately of known rapists and war criminals at the highest levels. The United Nations must stop supporting military actions, because they are doomed in Congo. And the root economic causes of the war need to be addressed with the leaders of countries in Africa's Great Lakes region who commit violence to reap benefits from Congo's minerals, as well as their Western corporate partners. They, too, are liable for these atrocities.

President Obama and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice should send a very clear message to the world. It is within U.S. power, as a member of the Security Council, to push for measures to end impunity and to carve out an enduring peace through careful diplomacy for the people of Congo.]

Eve Ensler, a playwright and activist, is the founder of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls.


This Article was originally published in:

Washington Post
06/30/2009

SPOTLIGHT CAMPAIGN 2009: DRC

V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues. In 2007, more than 3000 V-Day events took place in the U.S. and around the world. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $50 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org



SPOTLIGHT CAMPAIGN 2009: DRC DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO





Stop Raping our Greatest Resource: Power to Women in the DRC is a new global campaign to call attention to the wide-scale atrocities committed against women and girls in Eastern DRC and demand an end to the impunity with which these crimes are committed.

By joining this campaign, you will be supporting Congolese women and men who are demanding an end to rape. You will be supporting local efforts to demand justice and accountability. You will be supporting survivors of sexual violence to heal and rebuild their lives and communities. And you will join others around the globe to demand that women and girls in DRC are safe.

The Campaign is being initiated by V-Day and UNICEF, representing UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict.


Donate to STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE: POWER TO THE WOMEN AND GIRLS OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, a global campaign that is:

* Raising awareness about the level of sexual violence in the DRC
* Advocating for change on local, provincial, national and international levels
* Providing support to activists in the DRC and around the globe who are working to end the atrocities and change perceptions about sexual violence
* Raising funds to build the City of Joy in Bukavu, South Kivu--a project of Panzi Hospital in partnership with V-Day and Unicef-- that will be a refuge for healed women survivors of rape and torture, providing them with leadership development, educational and income-generating opportunities

To learn more about donating to the cause please visit: VDAY

V-Day Earth Week

This week has been so full of vagina events I've hardlly had time to post! Here are the final events of the quarter!


Eco-Vulva

This Wednesday April 22, 2009
All Day on the Ohio State South Oval

How earth friendly is your vagina?
Come find out ways to be more in tune with nature and discover an array of earth and vagina friendly products. We will have tons of food, music, books, prizes and other fun things all day long!


Open Mic Night: What I Want My Words To Do To You