Monique Wilson global director of One Billion Rising

Not many people know that Monique Wilson recently moved back to the Philippines. But along with moving back, she brought the good news that she has been appointed global director of One Billion Rising (OBR), the worldwide campaign to end violence against women.

Founded by Eve Ensler of The Vagina Monologues, One Billion Rising was behind last year’s mammoth Strike, Dance, Rise event participated in by one billion people from OBR chapters in more than 200 countries around the world, including the Philippines.

Her appointment as global director was a big step forward not just for the movement, but for Monique herself. It meant packing her bags, giving up her life in London and moving back to the Philippines. After being involved in OBR and The Vagina Monologues for almost 15 years, she felt the task was too important and too urgent to be treated as just one of the things demanding her attention. So the original plan — which was to move back to Manila in four or five years — got pushed up. It so happened that Monique and her partner were looking for a life change, so the offer to becoming global director of OBR came at the right time. Everything, says Monique, “just fell into place.”

She had a good life in London and enjoyed teaching acting to international students, but the bigger, more important goal now had to take over. Thus, she accepted the appointment and welcomed the chance to come home.

“We felt Asia was also the place to be already (after years of living in London),” says Monique. “And I thought, being a global director, I could work from anywhere because it’s virtual naman. But why would I not be in the Philippines? I’ve long wanted to come home also, actually. In the end, it came down to where, I felt, we could be more useful.”

Monique’s effort to reach out to the women of the world with the message receives a lot of help from what she refers to as the V-Day team led by Eve Ensler, and a core group of about 12 people, based mostly in the US. “We also have an amazing team of people who work behind the scenes — strategize the campaigns, build the websites, do the outreach, do the global media PR,” explains Monique. “That already helps me in a huge way and apart from that, we have 30 global coordinators working with me.”

This year, Monique will lead a second worldwide effort called One Billion Rising for Justice. Set to happen on Feb. 14, 2014 in several countries, including the Philippines, One Billion Rising for Justice is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in places where they are entitled to justice — courts, police stations, government offices, colleges, work places, military courts, places of worship and homes. This will basically be a follow-up to the mass action of last year. The 2014 campaign will build on the energy and momentum of 2013. “It’s a call to survivors to break the silence and release the stories of both pain and hope through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way best expresses their outrage, their need, their desire, and their joy. The path to justice begins with acknowledging and recognizing the violence — letting it be known,” she says.

The only difference is that this year, the goal is focused on getting justice for women victims of violence.

“Our stories have been burned, denied, erased, altered and minimized by patriarchal systems that allow impunity to reign,” says Monique. “Justice begins when we speak, release and acknowledge the truth. One Billion Rising for Justice is an invitation to break free from confinement, obligation, shame, guilt, grief, pain, humiliation, rage and bondage. It is a call to bring on revolutionary justice.”

Monique admits that it’s a massive task she’s facing. But like all major efforts, it has to start somewhere. “I have to keep advocating this because we can’t be silent anymore about things,” she says. “We cannot keep women voiceless anymore.”