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One billion rising

submitted by H. G. Society for Community Peac--Looking for the perfect Valentine's gift for your special someone - or for yourself? How about dancing in the streets of Queen Charlotte in the name of ending violence against women and girls? This February 14th is unlike any other! One Billion Rising is a global protest campaign where women, men, youth and children are invited to strike, dance and rise up together in solidarity to end violence against women and girls.While we often think of February 14 as just Valentine's Day, since 1998 it has also been recognized as V-Day, a day dedicated towards building "a world where women live safely and freely". This year, V-Day is calling for communities to recognize the traumatizing effects violence has in our lives and to demand this violence come to an end. Visiting the One Billion Rising website, we learn that one in three women on our planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. "One billion women violated is an atrocity. One billion women dancing is a revolution". Being a part of revolution for Valentine's Day this year? It doesn't get more special than that!One Billion Rising is "a global strike. An invitation to dance. A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends. An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers. A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given. A new time and a new way of being."For more information on this event, please stay tuned to the Observer, and look for the posters around town, or call Bonnie Olsen (Islands Women Society) 559-8843.