Editorial: A part to play in ending violence against women

Published on February 15, 2008

A student production of the play "The Vagina Monologues" returns to Amherst this Friday and with it criticism from some quarters that it is not appropriate for teenage girls to perform.

We disagree. The students rehearsed on their own time and the 7 p.m. production is a tickets-only event for the community. No one is forced to attend, and the school has taken extra precautions to ensure that no student attends who does not have parental permission.

The Eve Ensler play is being performed as part of the annual V-Day events, a global movement to call attention to female health and reproductive rights issues and to stop violence against women and girls.

Through dramatic monologues, it shines a light on the reality of women's bodies, dispelling myths while highlighting the absurdity and bias in culture and politics. It also dramatizes the continuing violence against women, such as systematic rape, a vile and ancient weapon of war that has recently ravaged places like Darfur and the Balkans. Rape is used to terrorize and to dilute ethnicity, and it's rightfully prosecuted as a war crime.

Two sisters from Serbia, Amherst Regional students, have taken on the role of a Bosnian woman who was raped by Serbs, their own former countrymen. It sends a strong message, and those who have seen them perform say the sisters' monologue can bring the audience to tears.

Whether it's rape or genital mutilation or some other hideous form of subjugation, we must all take a stand against it. Education is one way to bring about change, and art, in this case Ensler's drama, can be a powerful form of education.

For those who wish to expand their perspective by taking in the play, be forewarned: This is strong stuff. Based on interviews with more than 200 women, the dialogue is at times graphic. However, unlike the explicit images of sexuality promoted in film, TV and other media - all available to children and teens - "Vagina Monologues" is not about sensationalism.

In a country where one in six women experience a sexual assault at some point in their lifetime, the more dialogue we have about the issue, the better.

We applaud the efforts of the student Women's Rights Club at Amherst Regional High School for showing the courage to speak up for women all over the world, especially those whose bodies and lives have been marred by violent acts.