Green MEP for London Jean Lambert, Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett and Green MP Caroline Lucas today joined a worldwide day of action to stamp out violence against women and girls.
Green MEP for London Jean Lambert, Chair of Green Party Women’s Group Sarah Cope, Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett and Green MP Caroline Lucas united against gender violence at today’s One Billion Rising event
The three leading Green Party women danced in Parliament Square – along with other Green Party men and women and thousands of activists – in remembrance of the 109 women killed in 2012 in the UK through male violence against women.
The event is part of a global series of parties, demonstrations and protests being held to mark ‘One Billion Rising‘ – an initiative which aims to show politicians and law-makers that, with about one-third of women likely to be subjected to serious gender violence in their lifetimes, enough is enough. It aimed to mobilise one billion people around the world to make their opposition to all gender-violence, especially rape, known on February 14th, either by dancing, making a video, publicising the event at work. Hundreds of events were organised around the world, 15 in London alone.
Green MP Caroline Lucas also addressed fellow MPs during a debate on Protecting future generations from violence against women and girls, calling on the Government to change the law so all schools are required to teach pupils about the extent of gender-based violence – and take a zero-tolerance approach to it.
Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London: “I hope Londoners will get behind the campaign to show that they won’t tolerate living in a city where violence against women and girls takes place, often with impunity, day after day”
Ms Lambert said: “Violence against girls and women is always unacceptable, yet it is happening on a massive scale: campaigners estimate one in three women worldwide – that’s the best part of a billion people – are raped or beaten each year. Hence One Billion Rising as the campaign theme.
“Whether it takes the form of sexual violence, systematic discrimination or denial of rights or access to resources, gender-based violence is a breach of human rights – and must be stamped out.”
The campaign was organised by the V-Day Movement, a global campaign against violence to women and girls that has raised over $90 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, reopened shelters, and funded over 14,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, the USA, Egypt and Iraq.