District launches campaign to mark the day against violence against women and girls
14 February is not only Valentine's Day, but also One Billion Rising - the international day of action against violence against women and girls worldwide. Under the title "Love doesn't bruise", the district is therefore once again launching a campaign this year to draw attention to the issue, raise awareness - and take a clear stance against it.
Bookmark: Access to help and support
In 2023, 167,865 women were affected by intimate partner violence in Germany. 52,330 were victims of sexual offences and 360 of femicides. "These are alarming figures that the district wants to draw attention to as part of One Billion Rising - with information posters and a bookmark campaign together with the bookshops in Waldeck-Frankenberg," reports First District Councillor Karl-Friedrich Frese.
On this day, bookmarks with QR codes will be handed out in the shops Thalia Korbach, Bad Wildungen and Bad Arolsen, CoLibri Korbach, the bookshop Kirstein, the bookshop Hykel, Buchland Bad Wildungen, the bookshop Francke and the bookshop Jakobi, which will lead to online offers of help for victims of violence. This allows victims discreet access to help and support. The One Billion Rising banner will also be displayed in the Korbach lowlands from 14 to 17 February, along with a gallery of femicides to once again draw attention to the issue.
Be loud against violence and in favour of equality
"Valentine's Day stands for love. But Valentine's Day doesn't just mean love and harmony; for many women in violent relationships, it means another day of many with experiences of violence in the partnership," says Beate Friedrich, the district's women's representative. "With the One Billion Rising campaign, we want to once again draw attention to the fact that love must be safe, respectful and non-violent." Violence has no place in relationships. "One Billion Rising calls on people to stand up and be loud against violence and in favour of equality."
The district has already done this in previous years, for example through dance demonstrations, one of which will also take place this year from 4 to 5 p.m. in Bad Wildungen on Postplatz in the old town and is organised by the alliance of women from Bad Wildungen and Edertal. With the dance "Break the Chain", women and men rise up together against violence and the exploitation of women and girls - and in favour of equal rights, self-determination and non-violent coexistence.
"Keeping the message present"
"This year, we decided against a dance demo and in favour of the bookmark campaign because we would like to use different formats every year," says Miriam Drüppel, deputy women's representative for the district. "In view of the alarming and constantly rising figures for gender-specific violence, we are keen to keep the message Love doesn't bruise over a longer period of time and use the poster campaign on femicides to raise awareness of the dramatic effects of intimate partner violence in Germany almost every day."
Martina Weinreich from the CoLibri bookshop in Korbach says: "For me, the most important thing is to look and speak up when we notice or even just suspect violence against women and girls!" Bernhard Schäfer from Buchland Bad Wildungen agrees: "With our bookshop, we are very happy to support the global campaign to end violence against women and girls. On site at Buchland with a book table. And through our participation in the events on offer on this day."
Caption: Standing up together against violence and exploitation of women and girls: Miriam Drüppel (Deputy Women's Representative), Claudia Engelmann and Jeremy David Kugler (Thalia Korbach), Nüket Duru (Buchland Bad Wildungen), Martina Weinreich (CoLibri Korbach), Beate Friedrich (Women's Representative), Bernhard Schäfer (Buchland Bad Wildungen) (from left to right). (Photo: District of Waldeck-Frankenberg)