On Valentine’s Day, more than 300 people danced, chanted and rallied at Westlake Park as part of One Billion Rising, an international call to end violence against women and girls.
One Billion Rising is led by Eve Ensler’s V-Day organization. Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues,” announced the 15th iteration of the campaign last year, urging women and men around the world to walk out of work or school on Feb. 14, 2013.
At Seattle’s first-ever participation in the global movement, three hours of live music, poetry, speeches and dancing were part of the call for action.
Organizers say similar One Billion Rising events took place in 205 countries, all citing the troubling U.N. statistic that one in three women worldwide will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.
With the world population at 7 billion, that adds up to more than one billion women and girls.