Emily Gordon
Treasure Coast Delegation
Just before noon on Valentine’s Day, anyone going around Tallahassee may be witness to a sudden burst of activity as a flash mob materializes with dancers and drummers in wild action. The surprise performance is an event by individuals partnered with One Billion Rising, an organization dedicated to raise to the world’s attention to the one billion women and girls who have suffered beating or sexual abuse in their lifetime. In the crowd will be tears and laughs as some of these women and supporters band together to make change and prevent more women from suffering violence. It is an act of defiance to their abusers, and a testament to how they push forward with living their lives even through the long-term effects of violence.
The location of Tallahassee, the heart of Florida’s law making, is a place chosen with meaning behind it. In a society where abuse is taboo to bring into public, those who suffer it depend on the law and those who enforce it to give them liberty and justice. However, current policies in government leave too many reports of violence uninvestigated and unpunished. The institutions that stand to protect have failed to protect victims, and in opposition, these one billion will rise.
One Billion Rising’s campaign was created on Valentine’s Day, 2012, as a response to the fact that over one billion women experience abuse in their lifetime. Since its creation, the organization has connected and supported individuals across the world in their protests to the unacceptable experiences so many women must live through, and then live with. Through the efforts of these demonstrations, bills and laws have already been passed by legislators. Even with these small victories, more needs to be done to help those affected and prevent even more cases of abuse. More, newer solutions are needed to end the epidemic of violence against women, and our young minds must be the source.
Fitting with this, our Legislative Agenda this year puts a priority on mental health. There is no doubt that women’s experiences of violence negatively affects their mental health, and as a result, their quality of life. Reading through the Agenda’s information surrounding mental health, two statistics leap out: 60% of adults in America do not receive treatment for their mental illnesses, and Florida is in 49th place for spending allotted to mental health services. What does this say about the experiences of those who will dance in protest this Valentine’s Day? For one, they have likely not healed from their trauma with the benefit of help from someone who understands. On top of this, Florida’s lack of funding for mental health services is evidence that the government has not done anything to change this.
And so, with the power on one billion, I must ask this of Florida’s Youth in Government: consider the abuse inflicted upon one billion people on Earth, and research it. The issue extends beyond the area of one’s delegation, beyond Florida—it is prevalent worldwide. The variance of places and policies causes abuse to manifest in different ways, from sexual assault in the United States’ military to child marriage in numerous countries. Everyone at State Assembly has already chosen their topic and written their bills, but knowing our generation’s desire to incite positive change, I know this request will not fall on deaf ears. We have community in Youth in Government we can use to create solutions, and we have influence in our community to make it happen. When we do go out to make our changes, we will not just advocate for one billion people, but with them.
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