Ah, the familiar sights of February.
Year after year, the stores are saturated with teddy bears and kitschy hearts and the internet is clogged with tips for picking out the perfect Valentine’s Day gift or coming up with the perfect date look.
Whether you love or hate Valentine’s Day, the good news is that it’s not the only thing going on in February. Within this month that is notorious for its record breaking chocolate sales also comes global movements and grassroots awareness campaigns that start conversations about gender violence, women’s issues, and what a healthy relationship should be.
Did you know that February is national Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention?
Statistics from the Department of Justice show that girls and young women ages 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence- almost triple the national average.
In response to these and other shocking statistics, Teen DV month was created to bring awareness to abuse in teen and 20-something relationships and promote programs to prevent it.
In a month that we are confronted with so much talk about ”love”, it’s an appropriate time to pause to reflect and possibly reevaluate what a healthy relationship is.
Also sharing the February stage is global activism campaign, V-Day, championing an end to violence against women and girls since the ‘90’s.
According to the official website, the “V” in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine, and Vagina.
The $100 million V-Day movement was born in response to Eve Ensler’s groundbreaking play, The Vagina Monologues. The reactions Ensler’s play solicited were so overwhelming she and her team realized that performance art could be a compelling mechanism for social change. On Valentine’s Day 1998, a non-profit organization surviving on money from benefit performances of Ensler’s play was born.
To accomplish their mission, V-Day gives communities around the world an opportunity to perform The Vagina Monologues, show documentaries, and hold workshops to cultivate awareness and donate to projects that work to end violence against women, including local shelters and relief organizations.
The group has committed itself to building global support networks in countries in Africa and the Middle East but it still invites participation on a local level. Our own Appalachian community has also joined the movement this year. The ASU Women’s Center has produced a performance of The Vagina Monologues February 11th to raise money for both global V-Day funds and local non-profit OASIS. More Information Here.
Amongst some of these huge campaigns you also see remnants of February advocacy on all corners of the internet. Whether its bloggers starting the hashtag “Fembruary” to start a month-long discussion about feminism, or individuals raising money on crowd sourcing websites for local charities, people are making a difference this month.
Though our culture diverts a lot of attention to celebrating Valentine’s Day, let this month also be a time to start conversations about healthy relationships, women’s issues, violence and sexual assault, and even feminism.
Whether you believe in Valentine’s Day or not, spreading the ubiquitous message of love is important. Love and respect are simple notions that come in many forms and can be expressed in a relationship with your partner, with your favorite single ladies, or sent around the world and shared with others who may not have healthy support systems to fall back on.
We can’t all mobilize a grassroots movement or spearhead our own global campaign. Regardless, taking the time to spread awareness and inspire others is a gift to our fellow humans more enduring and rewarding than a dozen roses.
Images:
https://www.etsy.com/storque/media/articles/2011/02/12334-FO_Sweethearts…
http://thepost.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Screenshot-20…