Cyriacus Nnaji
One billion Rising, the biggest mass action to end violence against women and girls around the world in conjunction with IRISE Nigeria, has taken this year’s campaign for the freedom of the girl-child to the young people at King Chucks Schools and Altitude College all in Agor Palace, Lagos State, Nigeria.
The event which was held on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 was also designed to celebrate the Valentine’s Day with the children of both schools.
With the theme, ‘Rise for Freedom’ the event was also meant to educate the children on the true meaning of Valentine and not the erroneous interpretation given to it, hence the immorality being perpetuated by the young ones on the Valentine’s Day.
The 2023 campaign spelt out its objectives which include rising to end violence against women and girls; freedom to bodily autonomy, freedom to live in immunocompromised body, rise for economic freedom, freedom for women and girls to leadership, dismantling patriarchy, end sex for grades, and end violence towards the earth.
The children were also tutored that they are academic friends and they should therefore, be their brothers and sisters’ keeper.
Omodele Ibitoye Ejeh, who is the One Billion Rising Coordinator in Nigeria and Executive Director, IRISE, an Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation, spoke on the reason for the occasion. She said “To create a new culture that promotes young people’s freedom from all forms of oppressions and exploitations is everyone’s responsibility. One Billion Rising organises big rising events/campaigns in Nigeria to call attention to violence and all forms of oppressions against girls, women and the marginalised persons. One Billion Rising in Nigeria works with Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation, IRISE and grassroots movements to reach women, girls, male allies and our local communities.”
Ejeh also hinted that the organisation will be taking its events to Kwara State in collaboration with the Ministry of Arts and Culture, and will also carry out more physical and online events in the country.
Ejeh asked the question, what is one billion rising? She answered the question by saying “1 in 3 women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s One Billion Women and Girls. Every February, we rise – in countries across the world – to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.
“One Billion Rising is the biggest mass action to end violence against women and girls around the world. With coordinators and members in more than one hundred countries. OBR was born from the V-day movement founded by American writer V (Formerly Eve Ensler) author of the award winning play “Vagina Monologue.
“The campaign, which was launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than One Billion Women and Girls,”Ejeh stated.
Proprietor, Altitude Schools, Mrs Ramota Abass, an experience teacher, educationist, while addressing the students advised them not to indulge in anti-social and immoral activities in the name of Valentine’s Day. She urged them to be good boys and girls in all they do. “It is not a day for you to commit immoral activities, no, it is not a day to say, this is my boyfriend, I want to go and sleep with him, no. we want you to know that very well, it is a day to know that you are your brother’s keeper, you are your sister’s keeper, you are a good child. Don’t commit sin because you are celebrating valentine, be a good girl, be a good boy.
“Your parents, they all know that today we are going to do Valentine’s Day, they were so happy, so we want you to know that valentine does not mean that you will be sleeping with yourselves, being in a lonely place, as I used to tell you, you are all friends, academic friends, it is not a day to go to one corner to mess yourselves up, especially the girls. Girls rule the world, a girl with vision today becomes a successful woman tomorrow if you have a good vision. It is not a vision of how can I get a man to beg for food, how can I go to the bedroom, my brother will send me to church and I will go somewhere else, no, that should not be your vision. Your vision should be a vision of career, you can be an accountant, a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, lecturer, all good things in life; they will be your portion. In Jesus name it will be your portion, and in Allah’s name it will be your portion,” Mrs Abass stated.
About One billion rising global campaigns
2013: People across the world came together to express their outrage, to strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women
2014: One Billion Rising for Justice focused on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence, and highlighted the impunity that lives at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy.
2015: Millions of activists in over 200 countries gathered to Rise for REVOLUTION, to change the paradigm, demand accountability, justice and systematic CHANGE
2016: The theme of Revolution continues with a call to focus on marginalized women and to bring national and international focus to their issues
2017: The call escalated to Rising in Solidarity against the exploitation of women and girls. In so many regions of the world, women are abused in multiple ways across layers of exploitation and oppression, among other campaigns.
This year, events are taking place now and will continue through 22 April, #EarthDay. OBR creative resistance events will take various forms including artistic Rising and climate initiatives; new songs/anthems, poetry, documentary films, online discussions, panels & events; training with men; allies, flash mobs, and marches and more. OBR coordinators launched the theme in their communities during #16DaysOfActivism.One Billion Rising events also take place beyond the campaign periods based on the country coordinators schedule of events.
