Don't Read This

on Thursday, 13 November 2008.

My Australian friend Stuart is a very cool guy, who often has equally cool stuff on his facebook wall. Yesterday, when I visited his profile page, I found a GREAT video (which you’ll see if you click to continue…).

The video is called 5 Friends Uncensored. It’s about voting. At least that’s what it appears to be about, on the surface.

But I think it’s about something even more important than that. (There’s that ‘more’ word again!)

On a much deeper level, the video is about becoming involved in things that matter, exercising one’s right to have a voice, and taking responsibility for what we do, and don’t do.

Ten days ago, more Americans than every before made their voices heard, and cast their votes in an election that made history. They voted for change.

Ten days from now, on November 25 (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), the United Nations Development Fund for Women will hand over all signatures to the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

According to UNIFEM:

Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one in three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. Perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today, it devastates lives, fractures communities, and stalls development. (see more stats here).

Note November 25, 2008: UNIFEM achieved it's target of one million names in its Say NO to Violence campaign. Thank you to the 500+ people who added their names through amazingwomenrock.com

UNIFEM’s target for the Say No to Violence campaign is 1 million signatures. Close to 100,000 people have signed in the past four days to bring the running total to 665,000.

During any given 10-day period, about 500 people read each entry on this blog.

If you (and the other 499 people who ignored the title and read this entry), add your name to the campaign, AND ask five friends to do the same, and each of them asks five friends….

Hmmmm. Let me see…. That would be… A WHOLE LOT more voices saying NO to violence against women! (I was never very good at math).

You can make a difference by “casting your vote” here.

(Wait until the widget fully loads and you can see the name and email fields. Fill in your details, submit, and then ask five friends to do the same)

If you care about women, don’t ignore this campaign like you ignored the title of this entry.

Click here to add your name. Your voice counts.