This early, Valentine’s Day protest on women’s minds

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—This early, the women have begun preparations for a bigger and more forceful Valentine’s Day protest to call for stronger action against violence against women, theater artist Monique Wilson said.

“We’re sick and tired of what is happening,” Wilson, now the global coordinator of the One Billion Rising for Justice movement, said in a meeting with community leaders and members of the Gabriela women’s group here last week.

On Feb. 14 this year, around one billion women from 207 countries joined the global campaign against violence against women with protest dances and rallies.

Next year, organizers will scale up the protests to call for justice and an end to impunity in the Philippines, Wilson said.

“Our One Billion Action for Justice will address the causes of this continuing violence, and this is the issue of impunity,” she said.

Wilson said that violence against women continued to intensify and didn’t show signs of abating.

“Instead of abating, it has become worse,” she said.

“Eve Ensler felt that we needed to come up with more daring action. We need to make this a global movement, to tie up with women’s movements around the world,” she said, referring to the author of the “Vagina Monologues,” Eve Ensler, who started the V-day protest campaign.

Wilson said they would give governments and institutions a chance to address the violence against women, otherwise, they will come back the following year to stage a worldwide strike and walkout.

“We’ll rise and gather outside venues where we have been denied justice,” Wilson said.

“In courts, embassies, churches, not only on the roads or the town plazas, we’re doing it because it is symbolic to gather there on this day,” Wilson said.

Wilson said she was inspired by the work of community women leaders and promised to return to this city in November and visit communities in Compostela Valley.