clubs of District 25 are doing to support the Zonta Says NO campaign and standing up to violence against women.

District level project

The district project for District 25 is prevention of sexual abuse of adolescent girls and women. Zonta clubs are advocating by creating awareness of the laws available to women and organizing protests and edutainment programs that highlight these issues.

In Sri Lanka, District 25 signed a memorandum with the national child protection association of the country with a commitment to organize programs to prevent of child abuse in many cities of the island. Sri Lanka Zonta Clubs are also focusing on visiting schools to share an edutainment program for children on how they could protect themselves from abduction, sexual abuse and harassment, etc. The clubs are also focusing on measures to sensitize the government on important issues such as the improvement of the legal system dealing with rape cases on an urgent basis and making sure the punishment for rape and sexual harassment is meted out to the culprits.

The District highlighted Zonta Says No in all countries in the District though the media on the Day of the Girl Child, UN Day and Yellow Rose Day. Newspaper articles and TV programs were also distributed in the languages of Sinhala, Tamil and English in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

To read about the district’s individual club efforts, please click here: District 25 Says NO!

Dr. Nayreen Daruwalla receives a donation for SNEHA, a Network for Women of South Asian origin and their families.

.

At the District 5 Area 4 Spring Meeting held 6 April 2013, Zonta members held a panel discussion on violence against women. The panel consisted of a judge, a lawyer, a police officer and two local women who represented local organizations that help women in their community. They explained what their job was in order to help women & children affected by violence. After they told audience members what went on in the community, they opened the panel to the audience to ask questions.

Club members walked away with a feeling of awareness and an understanding of what needs to be done to help women in their communities.

District 5 Area 4 recently hosted a panel discussion on violence against women at their spring meeting.

The Zonta Club of Seguin observed Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) this April by having a club programs on Sex Trafficking Awareness, participating in local SAAM proclamations and sponsoring a production of “The Vagina Monologues” (fundraiser for Guadalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter).

On 24 April, the club also participated in Denim Day, which is a call for an end to sexual violence, responding to an Italian Supreme Court overturning of a rape conviction in which the victim was said to have been a willing participant since she would of had to help the rapist remove her tight jeans.

Below is a photo taken at the Vagina Monologues of the presentation of a plaque to the club from the Gualdalupe Valley Family Violence Shelter in appreciation of our financial support during the year.

On 27 April, the Zonta Club of Trenton NJ, USA said NO to violence by organizing the 2013 Rape and Violence Eradication (RAVE) walk. 

In 2001, the Status of Women Service Committee conducted a community needs assessment, to plan a ZISVAW (Zonta International Strategies to Eradicate Violence Against Women) Project with an objective to reduce the incidence of violence against women and children by supporting local advocacy and violence prevention strategies. The intent of this project was to make a grassroots difference in the lives of those manipulated by domestic and sexual violence in Mercer County. 

Womanspace, a nonprofit organization providing counseling and services to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, was consulted about the needs of women in Mercer County.

After talking to various individuals about our project goals, Zonta members Christine Armenti and Gerry Caparotta visited with Lt. James Brady at the East Windsor Police Department and that meeting lead to an invitation to attend a meeting of the newly formed Domestic Violence Victims Response Team (DVVRT) volunteers.

The DVVRTs are partnerships between Womanspace, Municipal Police Departments and community volunteers. Trained community volunteers meet with victims of domestic violence/sexual assault after an abusive incident in specially equipped areas in municipal police stations. Womanspace trains the volunteers and volunteers provide victims and their children with emotional support and furnish community resources at the time of the violent incident or upon request.

New Jersey law requires that volunteers be available to victims of domestic violence. Mercer County has an active team in all 13 municipalities: East Windsor Township, Ewing Township, Hamilton Township, Hightstown Borough, Hopewell Borough and Township, Lawrence Township, Pennington Borough, Princeton Borough and Township, the City of Trenton, Washington Township and West Windsor Township.

The service committee initiated the first R.A.V.E. (Rape And Violence Eradication) Walk in October 2001 to support Womanspace and the Domestic Violence (& sexual assault) Victim Response Teams.

In 2004 the newly formed, Sexual Assault Support Services Advocates (SASSA) were also designated as beneficiaries of the annual RAVE Walk. In the last 7 years over $46,000 dollars was raised to support women and children victims of abuse in Mercer County.

To see more photos from the 2013 RAVE walk, please visit the Zonta Club of Trenton’s Facebook Page.

The Zonta Club of Charleston and YWCA recently co-hosted a “Women on the Move: Fight for Rights” night.

On 25 April,  the two organizations put together a panel to discuss women’s rights, civil rights, domestic violence, human trafficking and laws relating to violence against women. A short performance of a scene from “The Power of 1ne”, which chronicles the courage and contributions of civil rights trailblazer, Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer (performed by Donna Lee Williams) began the program.

The Zonta Club of Charleston hopes to tweak the panel and use it for future events to partner with other organizations.

The Zonta Club of Santiago-Chile took time to say NO while recognizing their “Woman of the Year” Maria Teresa Ruiz.

Many notable public figures were in attendance to recognize Ruiz, and were able to learn about the Zonta Says NO campaign at the ceremony.

Learn more about the Maria Teresa Ruiz’s accomplishments here: Zonta International Local Service and Advocacy.