Dancing to keep women safe
Melisa Rodrigues, a 27-year-old from Lisbon, used to work for a big international company. At some point she realized, money wasn’t the key to happiness. So she quit her job, did a Master’s degree in globalization and development and went to India to work for an NGO.
It was in India that she learned about the One Billion Rising movement – an annual dance event demanding an end to violence against women and girls all over the world.
Melisa realized that violence – particularly domestic violence – was a big problem in her home country, Portugal. So she organized a One Billion Rising event in a train station in Lisbon to raise awareness and help women affected by violence know they’re not alone.
Listen to the report by Nádia Dinis in Lisbon:
Melisa Rodrigues is practicing her dance moves for the One Billion Rising event (Photo: Miguel Fascinado)
The Lisbon event drew a strong crowd of mainly woman – and a few men (Photo: Miguel Fascinado)
Melisa (right) is pictured with Rita, another volunteer, at the Portuguese parliament just before the One Billion Rising event (Photo: Miguel Fascinado)
A former Portuguese football player hosted the event (Photo: Miguel Fascinado)
