On 23 November, the Zonta Club of Baden-Baden cooperated with their local youth forum, a sort of local parliament for young people in Baden-Baden. The campaign took place in the pedestrian zone of Baden-Baden. With no indication for the aim of the campaign, the group arranged 99 pairs of women’s orange shoes around a display showing an orange line growing for three minutes and ending in a loud woman´s cry and a picture “say no –sag nein”.

This intrigued many pedestrians, who asked clubs members “what do we say no to” or “why are there so many orange shoes”. This reaction sparked a conversation, which gave the opportunity to hand out information. The members were then able to explain that the shoes were symbols for the 99 women murdered in Germany in 2012, and that every three minutes in Germany a woman is raped.

Members said that they were really overwhelmed by the interest the people showed in this difficult subject. During the time from 1100 – 1700 the club had more than 500 conversations and discussions with women and men of all age groups, girls and boys and in different languages.

The members also say they were very proud of the girls and boys from the group they partnered with, who did not hesitate to talk to the people. They report feeling very grateful for this experience and the knowledge that so many women and men took their time on a cold Saturday afternoon to discuss and think and give their opinion on the subject of saying no to violence against women.

The club also showcased a banner that had the Zonta logo the words “Say no –Sag nein”. Members wore black t-shirts with the orange imprint “Say No –Sag Nein”.

For more information on Baden-Baden’s campaign, visit their website: http://www.zonta-baden-baden.de/navigation.htm (German)