Handprints covering the windows were the new addition to the Student Union last Tuesday. Students laid their hands in paint and placed their painted hands on the SU windows, taking a visual pledge to never use their hands for violence in the These Hands Don't Hurt campaign in conjunction with the V-Day Campaign.
"The V-day campaign is in its 10th year and it is a world campaign to end violence against women," said Rajavi S. Parikh, a senior international women's health major and organizer of the V-Day College Campaign at UB.
The V-day Campaign is an attempt to raise awareness to end the violence against women and girls. The campaign concentrates on all types of violence from physical abuse, mental abuse, human trafficking and rape.
"With something like cancer or with AIDS, it is visual. You can see the generative aspects of it, but violence is such a silent disease," Parikh said. "There are 27 thousand people on this campus and even if we can just reach some people and make them aware of this silent disease that is not just killing our country but killing our world."
Eve Ensler, the author of the play The Vagina Monologues, started the national campaign. Money raised from productions of The Vagina Monologues will go to victims of violence and to the promotion of the cause.
"All our proceeds directly benefit our beneficiaries who are the Crisis Services and The International Institute of Buffalo, and 10 percent of all V-Day campaigns around the world go to our Spotlight Campaign," Parikh said.
The Spotlight Campaign provides social support to the women of New Orleans and the Gulf South, whose homes and lives were uprooted due to Hurricane Katrina.
"They are still living in tent villages for the last two years and women are being raped everyday because there is no protection, besides little bells on the zippers of the tents to signify an intruder," Parikh said.
There are many reasons why people came out to the Union to support the event These Hands Don't Hurt.
"Since I saw somebody I knew really hurt from violence I just wanted to do anything I could do to stop it even if it is just me performing in a play and putting paint on a window I'll do it to help the cause," said Collette Wdowiasz, a sophomore theatre major.
Christine Slocum, a senior psychology major believes the cause behind the event is good because it will lead to a better living environment for people.
"I think Ending violence against women is very important because violence is something that our society uses to keep 'woman in their place,' so if you end violence women may actually be seen more on a equal level and that is very important to me," Slocum said.
Sophomore human services major Michelle Konadu supported the event today because she feels it's her duty as a female.
"I have a duty to all the women to help end violence because I think of my mother, and people with sisters I wouldn't myself or them to be victims of violence and go though what some women do," Konadu said.
Students were not the only ones putting their hands on the windows, faculty members also came out to show their support for the cause.
"I found out about V-Day because some of our social work students help support events that are coming and I know this is a cause that is near and dear to a lot of peoples' hearts here on campus so it is an event that I would like to support," said Denise Karuse, an associate professor in the UB School of Social Work.
A benefit production of The Vagina Monologues will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26 on the 10th floor of Goodyear Hall on South Campus and Thursday, March 27 at 8 p.m. in Woldman Theatre on North Campus. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8, presale.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
