V-Day

:"For other uses, see Victory Day, Beppe Grillo, Valentine's Day and Military designation of days and hours.

V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls inspired by Eve Ensler's play, "The Vagina Monologues". The movement was started in the late 1990s by author, playwright and activist Eve Ensler. Ensler has been quoted as saying that it was women's reactions to the play that launched V-Day. After seeing "The Vagina Monologues", women would line up after to tell Eve their personal experiences, most often of sexual violence. [cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/americasbest/TIME/society.culture/pro.eensler.html |title=Activist has whole world chanting the V word]

About V-Day

In 1998, a non-profit charity, "V-Day", was incorporated with the intent of using performances of "The Vagina Monologues" to raise money to benefit female victims of violence and sexual abuse. Since its inception, the movement has expanded its use of art and activism to include film — most notably the documentary "Until The Violence Stops" (2004), readings of the compilation "A Memory, Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer", marches, and festivals such as UNTIL THE VIOLENCE STOPS: NYC (June 2006).

Beginning in early 2001, V-Day activities expanded to a host of international activities, with V-Day hosting leadership summits for women in Afghanistan, an international gathering of activists worldwide in Rome in September 2002, launching the Karama program in the Middle East, and more. In some societies where the original monologues are considered too vulgar, such as Monte Carlo, Monaco, [http://monacorevue.com/events/sd1080325.php/] V-Day events revolve around the book "A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer", a collection of monologues written by acclaimed writers, at the request of Ensler to celebrate the play's tenth anniversary.

V-Day included the first ever all transwoman version of "The Vagina Monologues" in 2004, under the mentoring of Jane Fonda and Andrea James of Deep Stealth Productions. [cite web |url=http://www.deepstealth.com/vday/ |title=Deep Stealth and V-Day 2004 Performance of Vagina Monologues]

In 2008, over 3700 V-Day benefit events have been held or planned. These events are being coordinated by volunteer activists in over 1250 locations around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. [cite web |url=http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=1380 |title=Event Seeks End to Violence Against Women |accessdate=2007-11-09]

Mission

According to www.vday.org, V-Day's vision is "a world where women live safely and freely"." Its mission is described as an organized response against violence toward women and a "fierce, wild, unstoppable movement and community". V-Day demands that rape, incest, battery, genital mutilation and sexual slavery end immediately and believes that "women should spend their lives creating and thriving rather than surviving or recovering from terrible atrocities".

V-Day is seen as an ongoing process, that will not stop until the violence stops. The organization strives to unify and strengthen existing anti-violence efforts by raising money and consciousness, and to lay the groundwork for new educational, protective, and legislative endeavors throughout the world.

V-Day proclaims Valentine's Day as V-Day, to celebrate women and end the violence. [cite web |url=http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/aboutvday/mission|title=Mission|accessdate=2008-09-24]

V-Day Campaigns

There are two types of V-Campaigns. The College Campaign and the Community Campaign.

The V-Day College Campaign engages members of college and university communities around the world to present benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, Until the Violence Stops, Any One of Us, and What I Want My Words to Do to You on their campuses to raise money and awareness to stop violence against women and girls.

The V-Day Community Campaign invites communities around the world to present productions of The Vagina Monologues, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, Until the Violence Stops, Any One of Us, and What I Want My Words to Do to You to raise money and awareness to stop violence against women and girls. An example of a community campaign would be V-Day Montréal.

Each year V-Day spotlights a particular group of women who are experiencing violence with the goal of raising awareness and funds to put a worldwide media spotlight on this area and to raise funds to aide groups who are addressing it. The 2009 spotlight is on women in prison.

ee also

*Domestic violence
*Sexual assault

References

External links

* [http://www.vday.org/ The official V-Day site]
* [http://www.vdaymontreal.org The official site of V-Day Montréal's Community Campaign]
* [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/americasbest/TIME/society.culture/pro.eensler.html/ CNN-Time magazine series "America's Best" profiles Ensler. September 2001]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E6D6133DF933A25751C0A9649C8B63&scp=2&sq=eve%20ensler&st=cse Eve Ensler Wants To Save the World - The New York Times Magazine - February 10, 2002]
* [http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/view/id/66/Eve Ensler performing an excerpt from her play "The Vagina Monologues." Presented February 2004 at the TED Conference in Monterey, CA. Duration: 21:11]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/arts/12ensl.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=eve%20ensler&st=cse&oref=slogin Eve Ensler, the Original 'Vagina Warrior,' Organizes Arts Festival - The New York Times - June 12,2006]
* [http://www.glamour.com/news/articles/2007/08/reallifedrama/ Ensler's September 2007 article in Glamour magazine]
* [http://www.democracynow.org/2008/2/15/on_tenth_anniversary_of_v_day Eve Ensler on V-Day's 10th Anniversary on Democracy Now February 15, 2008]
* [http://www.alternet.org/story/83437/ Victory Over Violence - For Women and Men - Alternet April 25, 2008]
* [http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=85982&var=story V To The 10th! - Fundraising Success - January, 01, 2008]
* [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article3744635.ece The Vagina Monologues Turns Ten] , The Times, April 15, 2008