‘3-4-5 & Go!’ (It’s the 3rd day [of the week], 4th month, and includes 5 areas.)

Growing from the suggestion of Swiss area clubs, on 17 April, the clubs in District 30 are beginning to show short films dealing with trafficking, domestic violence, and forced marriage – all made accessible by the Swiss film company Corto Helvetico (www.ch-alfemminile.ch). Each presentation will be followed by a discussion of the issues identified in the films.

Seven clubs from Districts 28 and 30 participated in their Advocacy Event, help 17 April 2013. 

The event was organised by Monica Duca Widmer, Advocacy Ambassador of District 30 Area 4 and member of the Zonta Club of Lugano.  The clubs organised the event at the same time with speakers like the police president, the court president, social workers and women’s help organisations. 

There were good press results as media was very interested in the campaign. 

Those that participated say they will try to do it again next year and hope that more of the clubs in Switzerland will join in the event. 

To see additional coverage of the event, please click here: Advocacy Event. 

Men can show their commitment to ending violence against women and girls too. Göran Hilding, husband of Zontian, Tina Hilding, of the Zonta Club of Malmo I in Sweden shows his support for the Zonta Says NO campaign with an orange Zonta Says No ribbon.

Zonta Club Graz, Austria, in District 14, organized a meeting entitled: “In dialog with the Federal Minister of Justice: Legal actions on violence against women”

On May 29, members of Zonta Club Graz invited leading representatives and lawyers of the most important organizations of the City of Graz and private ones which are engaged in helping women and children affected by sexual violence.

For these experts it was a rare opportunity to share their daily experience with the responsible Federal Minister Mrs. Beatrix Karl welcomed the open discussion pointing out that 80 % of violence against women happens within families which makes it so difficult to help.

The Minister of Justice also declared her priority: “Protection of the victims is more important than protecting the offender”. She also announced that she has just initiated an amendment of the Sexual Penal Code aiming at doubling the minimum sentence for rape and tightening the legal measures in case of grooming and human trafficking. Those actions will prove as a strong signal against sexual crime in Austria”, the Federal Minister of Justice said.

For all of us it was a very fruitful discussion with most important news on the local situation as well as the legal measures to prevent violence against women.

The Zonta House Women’s Refuge in Perth Western Australia recently received funding of $200,000 to support the work of the long standing refuge in Perth. It is a one off grant from the Criminal Confiscations Grant Program and is being used to enhance the work of Perth’s largest network of Women’s Refuges, a combined project of the Zonta Clubs of Western Australia. This funding will be used to support Zonta House’s Positive Pathways to Safety for Women and the Community project.

According to police statistics more than 8,000 West Australians were assaulted in a domestic environment between July 2011 and March 2012. It’s important to note these are the assaults that police responded to, and there would be significantly more that are not reported to police. This means that every day in Western Australia at least 29 people were victims of physical harm within their household structure.

“Zonta House currently provides immediate relief, by way of accommodation and social services but does not have the resources to journey with women to rebuild their lives. As a result women often return to housing options which make them vulnerable to continued violence”, said Mary Gurgone Chair, Zonta House Women’s Refuge.

The preventative measures within the “Positive Pathways” project focus on empowering women to make choices about their life before a crisis point is realised. Advocacy, education and support around housing options, addressing debt, financial guidance, emotional resilience and improving communications skills can prevent homelessness. There would be many women who feel “trapped” in their abusive relationship due to the inability to secure housing and support. This project will support women to make the transition from refuge accommodation to community housing and eventually private rental and home ownership through ongoing service provision, support, skill development and advocacy. It will also provide women with a structured environment to experience mentoring, education, fiscal management and counselling which will empower them to make good decisions on their future.

“We are very excited about creating a “one stop shop” which will result in women feeling truly supported and valued as well as providing them with confidence to make brave choices about their life”, said Mary Gurgone- Member of the Zonta Club of Perth.

Local men’s choir provided Christmas gifts for the refuge after a night of entertainment.

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.