The Associated Master’s of Social Work Students of Wyoming (AMSWSW) filled the Union with signs and people to promote awareness of gender based violence on Tuesday as part of an international event called One Billion Rising.
Megan O’Brian, president of AMSWSW said that education is the focus of the day.
“One in three women will be raped, beaten or otherwise abused in her lifetime. That amounts to 1 billion women throughout the world,” O’Brian said. “As a club we hope to reach out to the UW and greater Laramie communities and encourage them to educate themselves and become advocates against violence.”
O’Brian also said that gender based violence is not exclusive to women. While they bear the brunt of the harm, men should also join in the movement for equality. Men are statistically more likely to commit suicide, abuse substances and die earlier than women. While they are not as likely to be murdered by their spouse (about three women per day are killed by a current or former intimate partner), the numbers show that gender inequality negatively affects every human.
The AMSWSW is a coalition of social work students who take up a cause in which they believe. This is the third year the group has put on One Billion Rising.
According to the group, one in five women in the US have survived a completed or attempted rape, amounting to about 28 million women. Most female victims are raped before the age of 25, and almost half of those raped are under the age of 18. 15 percent of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 12. Less than half of rapes or attempted rapes are reported to law enforcement officials.
Adam Thompson, a junior geology major, said that he was receptive of One Billion Rising’s message and believes that society has become desensitized to gender based violence.
“Gender based violence or domestic violence is still a big issue today,” Thompson said. “It surprises me how many people still resort to violence especially at a loved one. I see it many times on the television whether it is from the NFL or just a local news story. It’s sad to see this type of stuff so frequently.”
A part of the One Billion Rising event was tabling in the Union as well as a freeze mob. Later on Tuesday AMSWSW held a panel discussion on domestic violence that was open to the public to encourage education and the spread of knowledge.
