Press Release / Invitation

Lantern Festival is starting early in Taiwan, and this year has a new focus!

The Garden of Hope Foundation is organizing a One Billion Rising (OBR) event on the evening of February 12 to call for justice for women who are victims of violence. We aim to gather 500 people in a flash-mob group to form huge and illumitated Chinese characters for the word “justice” (“zhengyi” 正義) in front of the CKS Memorial Hall landmark in the center of Taipei. The president of Taiwan’s Judicial Yuan, Rai Hau-Min (賴浩敏) and the Minister of Justice, Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) will both be there. Folk singer Luo Sirong (羅思容), Electric-Techno Neon Gods, Malaysian dancer Beifen, and other partners from civil society will also take part to sing and dance along to the OBR song. Everyone will hold up their index fingers to represent the one billion women worldwide who, according to the UN, will be raped or beaten in their lifetimes.

When the sun sets over Taipei at 5:46 in the evening, we will turn on a symbolic bamboo lantern, and at the same time the gathered crowd sitting together to form the Chinese characters for “justice” will turn on the lights on their cell phones to “shine a light on justice” for the 1 out of every 3 women in the world who will suffer violence in her lifetime.

OBR is an international mass action campaign, launched in 2013, and marked on February 14 in most countries. Last year, the Garden of Hope held the event on the fifth day of the Chinese New Year. This year, the date falls on Lantern Festival. Since the international theme for OBR 2014 is “One Billion Rising for Justice” the Garden of Hope’s slogan for this year is “Shine a Light on Justice”.

“Let’s shine a light on the global epidemic of violence and rise up for justice for one billion women worldwide.” (Chi Hui-Jung, CEO, Garden of Hope)

OBR campaign website (Chinese): www.goh.org.tw/2014OBR

International OBR website: www.onebillionrising.org

Tel: (02)8911-5955#214 (May WU)

When: 5PM, Feb 12

Where: CKS Memorial Hall, Taipei (Freedom Square main gate, Zhongshan Rd. – CKS Memorial Hall MRT exit 5)

Program

TIME	EVENT	DETAILS
17:00-17:30	Warm UpGuests and press arrive	Music by Luo Sirong; dancing by Beifen, GOH volunteers,  Electric-Techno Neon Gods. Raise your index finger for justice.
17:30-17:35	Host openingIntroduction to the guests	Host: Chi Hui-Jung, GOH CEOSpeacial Guests: JY President Rai Hau-Min (賴浩敏), Justice Minister Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪), Taiwan Coalition Against Violence secretary general ZhangLin (張琳), Awakening Foundation secretary general Lin Xiuyi (林秀怡), JY Secretary General Lin Jinfang (林錦芳), JY Criminal Court Director Cai Caizhen(蔡彩貞), JY Juvenile & Family Court Director Huang Meiyue (黃梅月)
17:35-17:40	Speeches	l   GOH Board Member Su Xi-Zong (蘇希宗)l   JY President Rai Hau-Min (賴浩敏)l   Justice Minister Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) l   Taiwan Coalition Against Violence secretary general Zhang Lin (張琳)
17:40-18:00	1. Slogan2. Flashmob	l   Slogan: Shine a light on justice, one billion rising for female-friendly courtsl   JY President Rai lights lantern, crowd forms Chinese words for JUSTICE, one by one they turn on their cell phone flashlights and neon bracelets to “shine a light on justice”
18:00-18:05~	Press Q&A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Media Contact: GOH CEO Chi Hui-Jung tel: 0932-093-192

GOH media specialist: Yuan Zongyu, tel: 02-8911-5595#118, 0936-064-262; e-mail:[email protected]