I've been working on a projected called Violence Against Women, which is their current campaign. Normally I just help with the social media promoting One Billion Rising or similar issues.
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 persecute.
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 it's students.
I know the jokes, Saint Mary's is the school for sluts. We all throw ourselves at football players and party far too wildly. The bus that brings us to ND is called the sluttle. Yet we're part of the community too. I'm the Vice President of the Notre Dame Model United Nation's team. Half my friends go to Notre Dame. I take classes there, my boyfriend goes there and I'm involved in many clubs there. No one would dare call me a slut, so I don't see why anyone should degrade any woman to that term.
Another girl that I was friends with freshman year was sexually assaulted and emotionally abused by her boyfriend at Notre Dame. She attended Saint Mary's, yet when she tried to kill herself, the school could not wait to kick her out. She needed to go home on her terms, not having her ID deactivated. 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.
It's no longer 1812, 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 even out the playing field. Check out One Billion Rising and join a rally this Valentine's Day.
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