-- Valdosta, Ga. -- February 14, 2013 --

Valdosta State University's Women's and Gender Studies program hosted V-Day today on campus.

The event is focused on raising awareness about violence against women with a campaign called One Billion Rising. It highlights the statistic that one in three women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. Which adds up to more than one billion women and girls victimized.

Tracy Woodard-Meyers is the Director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program. She said "we're asking not just women to come out and rise up and demand a cease to the violence, but we're asking men allies to come out. We want to see a billion men and women to come out, rise up and say we're not going to put up with any more. We're going to end the violence against women."

This was the 15th year that the Women's and Gender Studies program hosted this event.