On Nov 24th Zonta Club Bad Soden-Kronberg stood up in their local town with the Lord Major, local citizens, friends and family to say NO to violence against women.

By planting a larch tree in the town’s local park with a sign to mark the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, they established a symbol of hope that one day violence against women will no longer be a mass problem.

A local citizen and long-term supporter of Zonta said “It’s about time we had a Zonta tree in Bad Soden! It will serve to remind all passers-by of this ongoing problem in our community and across the world”.

After the tree-planting, a film called “Festung” (Fortress) was shown in the local cinema that portrayed a normal middle-class German family suffering under a violent husband and father. Everyone in the cinema was deeply moved by this intelligent and sensitive film (written, produced, and directed by women), which showed clearly the long-term negative effects of violence on a family and in particular the children.

In addition to the numerous articles as well as two adverts in the local press Zonta Club Bad Soden-Kronberg was able to donate € 1.000 for a local charity that provides support and help to violent men with the objective of preventing violence in the home. By learning how to change their behavior and better deal with their problems and emotions, violent men can overcome their problems and find a way to be a better father and husband…which is ultimately what the wives and children want the most.