By now you’ve probably heard that singer Rhianna was reportedly the victim of a domestic dispute with boyfriend Chris Brown. While neither Rhianna nor Brown have confirmed or denied the accusations, Brown, who was arrested a week ago, said today he is “sorry and saddened” by what happened and is seeking counseling.

While I hate that personal issues become public thanks to America’s obsession with celebrity gossip (I mean dealing with domestic violence is hard enough without everyone in the world knowing the details) I hope at least this incident may help bring more attention to the issue of violence against women.

I’m not alone in this hope, Rhianna was mentioned by fellow celebrity V-Day supporters at Fridays V-Day luncheon:

Jessica Alba said “when things happen publicly, it just makes it a more universal problem that more people can relate to.”
Kerry Washington, who serves on the V-Day board, called violence against women “a social illness that does not discriminate.” and said “this is a problem that spreads from the Congo to Hollywood. When it happens to someone famous, it’s a tragedy that it happened, but what I hope is that people become less and less afraid to talk about how truly devastating this social illness is.” -Associated Press

Now speaking of Rhianna at the V-day luncheon is appropriate, however MTV airing a special on Monday called “Chris Brown and Rhianna, Love in Trouble” is pretty gross. Isn’t it a little soon? I just hope MTV doesn’t sensationalize the issue and rather that the program helps viewers become more aware of the severity of domestic violence.

Did you know one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime? One in three! To help end the violence takepart and visit vday.org. V-Day was founded by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, 11 years ago after the success of “The Vagina Monologues.” To date, V-day has raised more than $60 million to stop violence against women and girls worldwide.