This is not a women’s issue – it’s
a global crisis. Let’s work together
to ensure that no more mothers,
daughters, sisters, aunts, nieces,
no more grandmothers experience
violence.
Robert Redford
V-MEN
150 V-Men workshops took place around the world, tripling the amount
we had last year. One Billion Rising certainly helped to engage men
on a deeper level throughout the movement. In the Philippines, for
example, a mass media campaign to engage men and boys to join
One Billion Rising by a group of men chosen by female V-Day activists
brought out many. The men chosen included a national artist of
literature, a TV host, a congressman/activist, a farmer, a visual artist, a
sports commentator, a singer-theatre actor, a film and TV actor, a theatre
director, and a priest. Representing a broad spectrum of Filipino society,
these men were crucial in engaging a large number of men and boys.
In the Congo, the V-Men campaign is beginning to take hold with men
joining from all sectors, doctors, teachers, policeman, the governor,
and even men in the army.
Eve’s beautiful poem, The Man Prayer, inspired by a meeting with His
Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa at TED India, was poignantly brought to
life as a short film by Eve and filmmaker Tony Stroebel.
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