Citizens of B&H joined activists worldwide in the campaign ”One billion rising” and raised their voice through dance against violence on women and girls, on the 15th anniversary of this global activist movement.
The plateau in front of BBI Center was crowded with people who through music and dance drew attention of the public to issues of violence on women and girls worldwide.
The campaign, ”One billion rising” and the biggest day in the history of St. Valentine’s Day, was supported by the director of USAID David Barth and his wife, American Ambassador in B&H Patrick Moon and his wife Danuta, the residential coordinator of UN in B&H Yuri Afanasiev and many other influential people from public, cultural and political spheres in B&H.
” This is an incredible number of people and most certainly the biggest action held in B&H. We are proud because B&H citizens decided to say ” Stop now” to violence.”- said Danijela Dugandžić Živanović, the coordinator of the campaign in B&H.
Ambassador Moon said that by this action, citizens in 35 cities of B&H have raised their voice against violence and said that they want to end violence on women. “One billion rising” is an event launched as an invitation to take action and as a response to the horrible statistics according to which one out of three women during their lifetime is a victim of violence. As the total population of the planet is around seven billion people, it is estimated that billion women and girls worldwide are victims of violence. This campaign was held simultaneously in 200 countries of the world. In 35 cities of B&H, 176 organizations and institutions participated in this massive project.