The Zonta Club of Basel invited to a public lecture and panel discussion about the Istanbul Convention and its ratification process in Switzerland. The event took place at the University of Basel on 30 November during the 16 Days of Activism for the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

A legal expert from Women Lawyers Switzerland, and a consultant from TERRE DES FEMMES Switzerland, a counseling organization, provided legal and practical insight. Club President Petra Kitschmann presented Zonta to the audience.

Some of the key learnings

• On the political level, the ratification process is well advanced and expected to happen during the next two years, no action is required to accelerate the process, it just takes its time.
• On the practical side, there is still a lot of room for improvement, e.g.

o   There are many laws and too many authorities involved when filing a suit as a victim of violence; the process becomes complicated, lengthy and expensive. This prevents people from taking legal action and allows perpetrators continuing to do evil.

o   The status of migrant woman has to become independent of her marital situation in order that she is not forced to leave the country in case of a divorce from a violent man.

o   Financial resources for counseling, women’s shelters, etc. are under constant threat and hence it is very difficult to work on real improvements.

Therefore, it is important that we as Zontians take all the opportunities to raise all voices for improvements and ensure that Zonta becomes visible as a stakeholder in women’s rights on all levels (local, regional, national).

The Zonta Club of Rockhampton Inc assembled this display at a local shopping center.  Not only does this display promote the 16 Days of Activism, members have also manned the display enlightening the general public about the work of Zonta International generally and The Zonta Club of Rockhampton Inc in particular.

The Zonta Club of Maryborough, District 22 has increased public awareness and improved their community footprint through a display of orange paper flowers in their town’s Market Day. Each flower represents a woman or child that has sought the services of the Club’s local women’s shelter.

The orange ladies (Zollies) were placed in high traffic businesses for the 16 Days of Activism. Each business has had their photograph shared through social media showing their “pledge” against violence towards women and girls. The Club supported the local police in a White Ribbon event as well as hosting a barbecue at a local hardware warehouse. At these events, the Club promoted the 16 Days of Activism campaign and gained much needed support, building on the “active bystander” role of all in the community.

Photo credit: KK

During the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, the Zonta Club of Feldbach, Austria, is educating its community about its “Zonta Harbour” program. On the first day of the campaign, the club passed out information and collected donations at its city’s yearly Christmas market.

Between 2014 – 2016, the club has collected and invested approximately 25.000 Euro in the program, which has provided safe hotel accommodations and a 60-square-meter flat to about 300 overnight stays to women and children.

In Zonta Harbour’s first year, the club paid for hotel accommodations for 254 overnight stays. In December 2015, the municipality of Feldbach offered the club a flat for the next 10 years, paying rent and running costs. The club furnished the space and is paying for heating and electricity.

The women are allowed to live in the space for a maximum of three months, while receiving advice from experts at Innova, a help and counseling center that partners with the Zonta Club of Feldbach.

The club hosted seven women for a total of 268 overnight stays last year, in addition to hotel accommodations for two women.

This year, the space has been in constant use, and the club is continuing to pay for hotel stays.

The Zonta Club of Caboolture, Australia, set up a display, which runs until 10 December—the end of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, in their local library for the 16 Days of Activism campaign.

The exhibit aims to raise community  awareness on violence against women and children. It features 16 orange cardboard ladies with information about violence against women, as well as artwork by a local indigenous artist.  The messages explain what different types of violence look like and where victims can go for assistance.

An estimated 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives. However, some national studies show that up to 70 percent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner.

The Zonta Club of Arlington, MA, USA advocated for the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign by handing out safety whistles and information about gender-based violence.

The Zonta Club of Mornington Peninsula Inc, Australia, hosted a breakfast on White Ribbon Day, which is also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The event, which included guest speakers Ingrid Ebert and Paul Zappa, hosted 112 guests.

Ebert, leading senior constable, and Zappa spoke about domestic violence’s impact on youth and detailed how they are working with young people in the community.

The event cost 40 AUD per person, and all proceeds went to the White Ribbon Foundation.

The Zonta Club of Bad Soden-Kronberg, Germany, organized a walk against violence as part of its Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. The club met at the tree it planted three years ago, where it placed wishes for the future written on Zonta Says NO tags.

The Zonta Club of Whitsundays Inc, Australia, used “orange ladies” to provoke comment and incite conversation about domestic violence.

These plywood cutout orange figures traveled widely throughout the year, bearing Zonta’s message as they appeared at many functions and fundraisers.

Initially they made their debut on the hill at the entry to Airlie Beach sited alongside Zonta members and beneath a Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women banner .

They also appeared in Townsville at a high-profile football match and at a district conference. More locally, they were at the  Fun Run, the  Reef  Festival,  and  standing outside various businesses in town.

The club booked sites to raise awareness of domestic violence and also raise funds at the local markets. The orange ladies stood  at the stalls alongside 23 pair of orange women’s shoes. These shoes represent the 23 women who lost their lives to domestic violence in Queensland in just one year.

The stalls were used to sell 2017 calendars with domestic violence messages, beautifully designed with  gorgeous photographs and catchy slogans of supportive local businesses.

The club’s colorful display created many opportunities for people, both tourists and locals to stop and talk and contribute to Zonta.