Zonta Club of Southern Ocean County President Debbie Casale and member Diane Gorgy receive a proclamation of Domestic Violence Awareness from Tuckerton Mayor Sue Marshall (right). (Photo: The SandPaper)

In October, the Zonta Club of of Southern Ocean County, New Jersey, received proclamations from two local towns, Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor, at their respective Township Committee Meetings recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Tuckerton Mayor Sue Marshall, who presented the proclamation to Club President Debbie Casale, is also a  Zontian and club board member.

Lisa Stevens, the Township Committee member who presented the Little Egg Harbor proclamation to Debbie, is a former Zontian and is now the vice president of the non-profit organization, HEAAT (Help Educate & Advocate Against Human Trafficking).

At the club’s  November meeting, the members assembled “first night kits,” for donation to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.  These kits contain a variety of personal care items, including toothpaste, a toothbrush, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, a comb, ear swabs and feminine care products. Many of the women staying at the rescue mission are victims of domestic violence, and the kits are greatly appreciated.

Additionally, on 29 November 13 “cuddle kits” were assembled for children of families staying at the mission. Each cuddle kit contains a hand-crocheted or handmade blanket, age-appropriate books, stuffed animals and mittens/hats.

The final activity, “An Evening of Fun With Friends,” was a fundraiser held on 9 December at a local restaurant called Calloway’s. Money raised from this event benefits HEAAT, which  does everything from lobbying for stricter laws against human trafficking to reuniting young victims with their families. Zonta and HEAAT literature was provided for the guests of the fundraiser, and many potential new Zonta recruits were identified.

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The Zonta Club of Warwick Inc, Australia, partnered with the Rosewool Redbacks, a cricket team, to promote the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign on the last day of the 16 Days of Activism.

During its game on Saturday, 10 December, the team wore specially designed orange shirts and helped raised funds to end violence against women.

Captain Tyhe Clarkson told the Warwick Daily News it was a cause the team really wanted to get behind.

“Jacinta Fromm is my boss at work and also the president of the Zonta Club of Warwick, who have just held their 16 Days of Activism for domestic violence,” he said.

“She asked if the Redbacks would like to get involved as she wanted to reach a whole different audience. And we jumped at the chance to be a part of it.”

The Zonta Club of Warwick Inc also worked with Warwick Safe Haven to co-host a walk in support of ending violence against women.

According to Warwick Daily News, the peace march and candle lighting ceremony coincided with the end of Zonta International’s 16 days of activism.

Psychologist Mark Cary addressed the crowd, saying how important it was for men and women to work together to end all forms of violence.

The Zonta Club of Nimes-Romaines, France, partnered with its local rugby club to celebrate 25 November, the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women and the start to the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The club’s goal was to involve well-known men in the city to stand up against violence in front of their supporters. All players wore orange shirts upon entering the stadium. Zontians also handed out 350 of the shirts to women in the stadium, along with aZonta flier.

Before the match started, the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign was explained. Afterwards, the Zonta Club of Nimes joined the two rugby teams and supporters at a party.

The event was covered by multiple media outlets before and after.

The Zonta Club of Jefferson City, MO, USA, kicked off the 16 Days of Activism and Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women with a proclamation from Jefferson City’s Mayor, Carrie Tergin.  The 25th of November was declared Jefferson City’s Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

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For 16 days, The club’s Facebook page featured a photo of a community member with a  Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women sign.  Included in the post was a quote from the member or a statistic about domestic abuse and violence. In one week, the posts reached more than 5,000 people.

The Zonta Club of Jefferson City also partnered with the Lincoln University Women’s Resource Center. Silhouettes of abused women and their stories were displayed around campus with the “Zonta Says No” emblem and contact information for the local Rape and Abuse Crisis Service.  Four sets of silhouettes have moved periodically around the campus will remain on display until December 20^th, which is the end of classes before Christmas break.

As a result of these projects, the local television station, KRCG Channel 13, produced a news segment featuring a local survivor of domestic abuse, Megan Sappington.  During the segment, Zonta member Ramona Huckstep was featured along with the displays at Lincoln University.

This was the club’s first major advocacy project in a few years and they are grateful for the positive response they received from the community.

The Taichung Hong Wen Z Club in Taiwan organized a parade before their school’s charity car wash on 5 November. As more than 300 students waiting to wash cars watched, Z club students shouted slogans and waved eye-catching Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women banners.

Following the parade, Z club members joined their schoolmates for the car wash, raising 130,000 TWD (US$4,000) to help the Good Samaritan Women’s Center, an organization that gives shelter, counseling and training to homeless women. The Zonta Club of Taichung donated 10,000  TWD (US$315) to the car wash.

On 3 December, members of the Zonta Club of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, distributed Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women wristbands and information about Zonta International to visitors at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre Shopping Mall.

Other nongovernmental organizations and the Ministry of Women, Children and Community Development supported the 16 Days of Activism, with talks and exhibitions throughout the country. Members of the Zonta Club of Kuala Lumpur participated in gender equality talks organized by the Women’s Aid Organisation of Malaysia.

Club members also attended a presentation by Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Executive Director of UN Women. The event, which took place on 28 November, was called, “Can the SDGs Deliver on Their Promise of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women by 2030? Exploring Strategies and Imperatives for Making the Dream a Substantive Reality.”

The Zonta Club of Kathmandu and Golden Z Club Kathmandu in Nepal have partnered to spread awareness of gender-based violence throughout its city.

The clubs produced 100 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women signs and placed them in major shopping areas across Kathmandu Valley that have high visibility.

The clubs’ objective with this initiative is to raise awareness and create a buzz around the issue of violence against women.

For more photos, check out the Zonta Club of Kathmandu’s Facebook album.

The Zonta Club of Nanaimo, Canada, celebrated its second year of  participating in the 16 Days of Activism and Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaigns with their local junior hockey team, the Nanaimo Clippers.

The club alerted local media, and the Nanaimo News Bulletin published a story. Following the publicity the article brought, club members attended a home game, where they set up a table and greeted fans while handing out hundreds of orange awareness bracelets and buttons to local fans. More than 90 people came by the table throughout the game to learn more about what we were about and why Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women.

The Zonta e-Club of Finland 1, Europe’s first e-club, started their Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign with a visit to the Finnish Parliament.

Members from the club gave orange wool socks to six female Members of Parliament, who belong to other Zonta clubs, and also to Eva Biaudet, Member of Parliament and president of the National Council of Women of Finland.

With these socks, the club aims to highlight the values and importance of actions to end violence against women and girls.

The Zonta Club of Cotonou, Benin, participated in the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign with three activities.

In partnership with a local nongovernmental organization that helps abused girls, the club walked in a march that ended in the biggest market of West Africa, Dantokpa Market, where the club held a sensitization event.

The club also turned Cotonou orange, dressing taxi motorcyclists in orange. They arrived in a convoy at the Place Lénine, where the club hosted a public debate on violence against women. The event was co-sponsored with Soroptimist.

For the third activity, the Zonta Club of Cotonou joined Soroptomist in organizing a conference to assess Benin’s progress in fighting gender-based violence and assessing how effective the law is in punishing violence perpetrators. Attendees included representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Supreme Court and UNFPA, judges, the U.S. ambassador in Benin, the director of Peace Corps, and a local civil society representative.

Throughout the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, club had the opportunity to be visible in its community and convey the message and values of Zonta, particularly its commitment to empower women, fight for women’s rights and fight against violence against women, which prohibits them from living in dignity and having a flourishing life.