THANK YOU! From the One Billion Rising Global Coordinators on International Women's Day

As International Women's Day, 8 March, begins, we are excited to share this special note from our ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE Global Coordinators and highlights from this year’s campaign.

Risings are still happening throughout Canada and across the globe, please be sure to CHECK OUT our event map to find one near you.

We would like to say a huge, collective THANK YOU to activists and groups around the world for the incredible risings that took place on and around 14 February 2014, and for the risings taking place throughout Canada and the world tomorrow on International Women's Day.

We thank everyone for going deeper into the justice issues in each community, city, and country, for coming together to address impunity, for gathering and dancing together to show our collective strength and energy in our demand to end violence against women and girls. We thank you for your amazing creativity, artistry, energy, courage, and determination.

As global coordinators, we are in awe of the work that you did to deepen the campaign in your communities, and humbled by the broad and committed engagement. Through your work we saw multiple sectors coming together to demand justice, and we saw coalitions being formed and led by grassroots activists who have been doing the work of ending violence for years. We thank you for affirming what a global solidarity movement truly means - people coming together for a uniquely local, yet shared global vision of a world where women can one day live with equality, freedom, respect, and dignity.

We encourage activists all over the world to keep Rising for Justice until the violence stops!

- Rossana Abueva, Fartuun Adan, Sajjad Akbar, Iman Aoun, Abha Bhaiya, Kamla Bhasin, Nicoletta Billi, Rada Boric, Delia Cohen, Nico Corradini, Anne-christine d'Adesky, Jason Day, Ines Eichmuller, European Women's Lobby, Laura Flanders, Allison Gars, Fahima Hashim, Karin Heisecke, Colani Hlatjwako, Lindsey Horvath, Khushi Kabir, Marsha Pamela López Calderón, Dianne Madray, Marya Meyer, Barbara Mhangami-Ruwende, Elena Montorsi, Naomi Mwaura, Andres Naime, Mbachi Joyce Ng'oma, Mathamkaze Ramakau, Pat Reuss, Nighat Rizvi, Nyasha Sengayi, Zubeida Shaik, Ivana Smith, Thea Tadiar, Hannah Tarindwa, Isatou Touray, Mily Trevino-Sauceda, Karabo Tshikube, and Monique Wilson

2014 HIGHLIGHTS

BANGLADESH, Khushi Kabir: "Over a hundred thousand people organized One Billion Rising for Justice manifestations all over the country…" more >

CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES, Dianne Madray: "This movement allowed so many of us to recognise the theme "Rising for Justice" and understand that by standing together as Collated Regional Teams from around the Caribbean we can create a VOICE for the Caribbean at large…" more >

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, Marsha Pamela Lopez Calderon: "'Rise for Justice' events took place in Panamá, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, República Dominicana, and Brazil, with a total number of 60 One Billion Rising for Justice events taking place across the region..." more >

CROATIA, Rada Boric: "Women’s groups prepared and read a Protest letter to the Croatian Judiciary demanding justice for women victims of all forms of violence, including justice for women survivors of sexual violence during the war/conflict in the 90's…" more >

INDIA, Abha Bhaiya & Kamla Bhasin: "People of various religions, multiple sexual identities, different ethnic/ tribal groups, as well women and men spread throughout rural areas of the country, came together for this campaign and provided a fundamental shift…" more >

ITALY, Nico Corradini: "… more than 150 Risings took place in 119 cities in Italy. Young people and students shared thoughts of the larger meaning of Justice: respect, value, guarantee for equality and social justice, pointing EDUCATION as crucial starting point…" more >

LESOTHO, Mathamkaze Ramakau: "In Lesotho, a rising activity for young women of Lesotho was organised after realising that young women often lack a space where they can talk about issues affecting them in this country…" more >

MEXICO, Andres Naime & Rosi Orozco: "Thousands danced in town plazas all over the country. The rising at the Mexico City Alameda Park resulted in the closing of one of the major prostitution dancing halls in the city. Because of the campaign, one girl who had been missing was found, after her photo was seen at the Rising at the Alameda…" more >

PERU, Jason Day: "The participation of so many groups from so many sectors has changed the culture - from football players wearing One Billion Rising t-shirts at their games, and construction workers committing to treating women with respect and putting an end to sexual harassment on the streets…" more >

THE PHILIPPINES, Monique Wilson: "The One Billion Rising for Justice campaign brought to the forefront all the intersectional issues that continue to perpetuate the violence being done to women and girls - poverty, economic exploitation, environmental injustice, corruption, militarisation - and brought huge media attention to who the grassroots women's movement consider to be the main perpetrators of the continued state instigated violence: the Philippine government led by the Philippine President Aquino…" more >

SOUTH AFRICA, Barbara Mhangami Ruwende & Zubeida Shaik: "… One Billion Rising Campaign of February 2014 has caught the attention of policymakers, raised the level of conscientiousness of ordinary South Africans, and left an irreversible mark on the psyche of those who have for years remained apathetic…" more >

SWAZILAND, Colani Hjatjwako: "One Billion Rising has helped us as women in Swaziland to realise that change will only happen when we come out as a team and work together…" more >

UNITED STATES, Allison Gars (Atlanta): "… activists, leaders, and citizens of Atlanta including Hispanic, Latino, African American, White, Transgender and more gathered at The Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the spiritual home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to have a conversation about today's most pressing human rights issue: violence against women and girls…" more >

UNITED STATES, Marya Meyer (Miami): "A full 30 local organizations joined the February 14 Rising, with informational tables, conversation, and literature that showed locals what they can do, empowering the entire community and taking away the sense of helplessness when facing the realities of continued violence…" more >

About V-Day
V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play "The Vagina Monologues" and other artistic works. The V-Day movement has raised over $100 million; educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it; crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns; reopened shelters; and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, and Iraq. V-Day has received numerous acknowledgements and awards and is, one of the Top-Rated organizations on both Charity Navigator and Guidestar. V-Day's most recent global campaign, ONE BILLION RISING, galvanized over one billion women and men on a global day of action towards ending violence against women and girls. www.vday.org

About V-Day
V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. The V-Day movement has raised over $100 million; educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it; crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns; reopened shelters; and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt, and Iraq. V-Day has received numerous acknowledgements and awards and is, one of the Top-Rated organizations on both Charity Navigator and Guidestar. V-Day's most recent global campaign, ONE BILLION RISING, galvanized over one billion women and men on a global day of action towards ending violence against women and girls. vday.org

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2012, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events organized by volunteer activists in the U.S. took place around the world educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $90 million; educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it; crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns; reopened shelters; and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. Over 300 million people have seen a V-Day benefit event in their community. V-Day has received numerous acknowledgements including Worth Magazine's 100 Best Charities, Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities, one of the Top-Rated organizations on Philanthropedia/Guidestar and Great Nonprofits. www.vday.org