Did you know ...

Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.1

Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.2

One in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape.3

1 in 10 (10 percent) of sexual assault victims are men.4

In 2003-2004, there were an average annual 204,370 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.5

About 44 in 100 (44 percent) of rape victims are under age 18, and 8 in 10 (80 percent) are under age 30.6

Why should I care?

As Presbyterians, we believe in justice for all people, including women. The rationale behind our communal denouncement of violence against women can be found in the Book of Order [W-7.4002].

Justice is the order God sets in human life for fair and honest dealing and for giving rights to those who have no power to claim rights for themselves. The biblical vision of doing justice calls for:

1. dealing honestly in personal and public business,
2. exercising power for the common good,
3. supporting people who seek the dignity, freedom, and respect that they have been denied,
4. working for fair laws and just administration of the law,
5. welcoming the stranger in the land,
6. seeking to overcome the disparity between rich and poor,
7. bearing wetness against political oppression and exploitation,
8. redressing wrongs against individuals, groups, and peoples in the church, in this nation, and in the whole world.

This pronouncement also comes from our encouragement of social activism in the world as a sign of the community of God. The Book of Order states this in G-1.0200:

The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of human kind, the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the promotion of social righteousness, the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.

Born as an outgrowth of The Vagina Monologues, V-Day generates attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery. V-Day's mission demands that the violence must end. It proclaims Valentine's Day as V-Day until the violence stops. Learn more at the V-Day: Until the Violence Stops Web site.

Get involved

• Sponsor or host an event to raise awareness and money to stop violence against women and girls.
• Donate to the cause.
• Subscribe to V-Mail, the V-Day newsletter, which includes upcoming events and opportunities for participating in campaigns that will change the world, and other information relating to our shared work of stopping violence against women and girls.