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Ladies who lunch

V-Day via Associated Press

This Saturday, instead of celebrating Valentines Day, these ladies celebrated V-Day, a national movement that aims to stop violence against women and girls. Jessica Alba, Kerry Washington, Maria Bello, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, and Rosario Dawson all attended the luncheon which was held in Los Angeles and was focused on violence towards women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The luncheon was part of V-Day’s February tour which will make stops in cities around the country. It was part of a joint campaign between V-Day and UNICEF called “Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource: Power to Women and Girls in the DRC” which aims to empower women to end sexual violence in the Congo and to open a center to help with the healing process after sexual violence.

“The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina,” so it says on the official V-day website. V-Day is a non-profit corporation and there are now 120 V-Day organizations around the world. They have raised more than $60 million to stop global violence towards women.

“One out of three women are beaten or raped,” said Eve Ensler, author of the Vagina Monologues and creator of V-Day. Eve began V-Day in 1998 in order to promote creative events and increase awareness about violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

Rosario Dawson mentioned the recent assault against Rihanna and the shootings of Jennifer Hudson’s three family members last year. She emphasized the need to have an open discussion about these issues and remain supportive of other women going through tough times. "All these women are our sisters," Rosario added.

"When things happen publicly, it just makes it a more universal problem that more people can relate to," said Jessica Alba, an annual participant in the V-Day luncheon. She also read a poem at the event inspired by the experience of a Congolese woman.

If you want more info on how to get involved in this worthy cause, check our their website. They have a list of ways you can get involved and hold a V-Day event.

What do you think about the event? How about the ongoing discussion revolving around Rihanna and Chris Brown? Let your voice be heard too, comment below!