V-Day

It's almost V-Day , and in honor of this holiday, I wanted to bring your attention to a very serious global issue that we are facing today.

Many of you know that I am planning on going to law school next year, what you don't know is that my goal is to open up an advocacy agency for battered women. This is a cause very near and dear to my heart, and unfortunately, rape and abuse are acts of violence that are often ignored by society. I am writing to break the silence, and to banish the stigma that rape places upon its victims.

It is my goal, along with Eve Ensler's , to pass along the message to STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE. Yes, it sounds dramatic, but I'm sad to say, the world offers a different reality. We need activists to bring the message of ending sexual violence. In the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), over 3500 Women from North Kivu were raped between January and June 2008.

Violence against women does not begin, nor does it end in Africa or any other "impoverished" nations. We forget that women in our own society, in North America, suffer the same injustices. While women might have more of a say when it comes to standing up for themselves, to pursue a case in court (if she's lucky), means that she will face an intensive probe into her character, exorbitant legal fees,court delays, and hidden statutes that protect the perpetrator. We have to stop this.

As a woman, I cannot stand behind a legal system that does not do everything in its power to give a woman a fair and just hearing. I am going to do everything in my power to change it.

So I beg of you, please go and educate yourself, and let's protect one of our world's greatest resources--ourselves.