At 11:30 a.m. Thursday residents are asked to stop what they’re doing, rise and dance as part of a worldwide effort to end violence against women.

Called One Billion Rising, the inaugural event coincides with Valentine’s Day and the 15th anniversary of The Vagina Monologues.

Kira Haug, co-founder of Dames Investing in Social Harmony, said everyone — women, children and men — are encouraged to take part.

“The concept is stop what you’re doing, rise and be a part of a global movement to put an end to violence against women and girls,” Haug said Wednesday.

A rally is planned for 11:30 a.m. at the downtown library on Victoria Street. Haug said B-100 has agreed to broadcast Nelly Furtado’s The Spirit Indestructible for everyone to dance to.

“If you turn your radio on, you’re engaging in the movement. It’s to honour those women who today, right now, are being violated,” she said.

Thursday also marks V-Day 2013 and the launch of the annual Vagina Monologues production in Kamloops. Organized and produced by local women, the monologues run through Saturday at the Kamloops Convention Centre. Tickets are available through Kamloops Live! Box Office, www.kamloopslive.ca.

One Billion Rising is inspired by Vagina Monologues author Eve Ensler as a way to celebrate her play’s legacy and raise awareness about rape and other violent crimes men commit against women, said Haug.

She said One Billion Rising is about men as much as women. She said men commit the acts, but it’s also up husbands, sons, and brothers to stand against those who cause the violence.

By presenting One Billion Rising with dance and music, she believes men will be more inclined to not view the event as something organized by angry feminists, said Haug.

“We don’t want men to turn their backs and not hear the message because it’s being delivered with anger and hatred,” she said. “We just want to be contribute to building a community based on quality, hope and kindness.”

For more information visit onebillionrising.org.