Originally published on the CGS blog on February 4, 2013.
One Billion Rising is a rally taking place all over the world on Valentine’s Day. In places from Richmond Virginia, to Richmond, England, men and women will join together to stop violence against women. This is issue is close to my heart for many reasons, and not the least because Valentine’s Day is my birthday.
I attend Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. For those of you that don’t know it, which I assume is most of the population, it is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. My freshman year, just a few weeks into the school year, a tragedy struck my campus. A student, who lived across the hall from me, committed suicide.
What does this have to do with violence against women? She died after a University of Notre Dame football player sexually assaulted her. When she tried to report the crime, she received death threats and was told not to ruin Notre Dame’s football season. The police did not investigate her allegations until after she died, and even then because she died, they could not prosecute.
Notre Dame is a loving community. I’ve been privileged to live there for three years and it will always be part of me. Yet, I still cannot forgive them for her death. What does it say about a place where football is more important than the death of one of the students?
Another girl that I was friends with freshman year was sexually assaulted and emotionally abused by her boyfriend at Notre Dame. When she tried to bring charges against her ex, following the school’s process, nothing happened. A trial was held for him to see if he committed anything wrong and even when his friends testified against him, he was still found not guilty.
Saint Mary’s is all women. We try to speak up and yet everyone shushes us, telling us to go get our home economic degrees (which the school thankfully doesn’t offer). People ask me if I’m going to marry my boyfriend the minute I graduate and get my MRS. degree. I laugh at them. I’m not some crazy feminist, but I am an equalist. I am standing up to violence against women because I’ve watched it destroy people I love.
Violence against women is a significant issue. It’s not just affecting college students, but it’s whenever any women around the world feels scared. It could be her boyfriend telling her no on else will love her, a father forcing his daughter into marriage, a wife hit by her husband for speaking her mind or a mother raped on the side of the road gathering water.
Global Solutions will be attending the ralley in Washington DC, so if you’re in the area, come join us! If you’re not, there is plenty of ways to get involved. This Saturday, we’ll be hosting a Webinar. Get the details on our website.
It’s no longer 1066, women have the vote, women control companies, run the government and most still manage to have children. This is why I’m spending my birthday and Valentine’s Day, not with my boyfriend, but supporting all women out there that have been abused. It’s time to end violence against women. If women hit a man, it would be called assault, not a domestic problem. Let’s level the playing field. Check out One Billion Rising and join a rally this Valentine’s Day.
