As of 2012, the global sex ratio is approximately 1.01 males to every 1 female – so there are roughly 3.5 billion human females on the planet.
Out of those 3.5 billion women, one in three will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.* That’s one billion violated women.
I knew violence against women was a massive global issue, but the sheer scale of that number blew me away. Wow – time to wake up. We have to ask ourselves: what can we do about this?
That’s a question Eve Ensler pondered and responded to by creating the One Billion Rising day – February 14th, 2013. It’s a day to raise awareness about violence against women, to raise our collective consciousness in changing the current status quo, and to celebrate femininity.
There are countless gatherings and events happening all over the planet on this day. As you contemplate joining in (I hope you do!), I invite you to consider these conversations:
If you’re a female reading this: what negative associations do you have with your womanhood? How do they affect you, and your life choices?
For example: I won’t make it. I’m not strong enough.
What strengths do you wish to express as a woman?
If you’re a male reading this: what negative associations do you have about women that you need to release?
For example: they are too emotional or dependent.
What strengths do you wish to see women express?
What qualities or ways of being do you think will create the shifts necessary for a more inclusive, kind, and loving world?
As you work your way through these questions, release those tired-out ways of thinking that no longer serve you. Begin to embody and amplify those traits that support both you and a better, brighter world for all.
This Earth does not belong to one gender or the other. It is, in fact, our world. It is made of atoms from starburst billions of years ago, and if we remember these origins, we can see each other as star beings: light-filled, and part of a grander scheme of cosmic destiny.
* 2008, the UNITE To End Violence Against Women Campaign, initiated by UN Secretary-General’s Office