Gender discrimination and human rights abuses against women persist in our society. In 1999, MPIRG updated a 1989 survey of sexual harassment and violence on Minnesota college campuses, showing some improvement since the survey was first conducted. However, the data overwhelmingly pointed to the need for more work in policy change, education and support in eliminating sexual violence.
Unfortunately, sexual violence is only one of several abuses that women in Minnesota continue to suffer. Sexual assault, domestic violence, reproductive rights violations and economic discrimination remain prevalent in our state. Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women reported in their 2000 Femicide Report that over forty women were murdered by their partners in Minnesota in one year. So far MPIRG has raised more than $120,000 for area women’s shelters and advocacy programs through its annual productions of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues."
Each year, MPIRG builds on its past work in women's issues, particularly on Minnesota college campuses. MPIRG's upcoming work includes several components:
"The Vagina Monologues" / V-DAY // "The Vagina Monologues" was written to break the silence surrounding women’s relationships with their bodies, to celebrate and empower women and to end sexual violence against women. V-Day is the movement that was created to continue the play’s work. MPIRG campuses and other colleges throughout the United States and around the world receive free copyrights to perform and produce the play under the stipulation that all proceeds benefit shelters or advocacy for battered women. The primary mission of the V-Day Campus Initiative is to clearly and vocally articulate a space for women to redefine their most intimate experiences, and to shatter the silence under which women have been kept from cultural, academic, economic and political equality. Check out what MPIRG fundraised so far this year for Women's shelters.
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U of M Twin Cities students greet attendees of the 2008 "The Vagina Monologues."
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Cast of the 2008 "The Vagina Monologues" with Joy Friedman from Breaking Free.
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To learn more about our events or to find out what you can do to help in the fight against domestic abuse and sexual violence, get involved with MPIRG.
Links and Resources
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