Every year, from 25 November through 10 December, Zonta Club of Charlevoix, Michigan members join hands with Zontians around the world to raise awareness of domestic violence. On 25 November, from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm, Zonta Charlevoix members stood in silence with local law enforcement (Charlevoix City Police Chief Gerard Doan and Charlevoix County Sheriff Chuck Vondra) to lend credence to Zonta Charlevoix’s 2020 campaign ‘TIED TOGETHER THROUGH VIOLENCE’. Club members held fast to an orange silk scarf (with knots every six feet to promote social distancing), with orange scarves tied around their necks, and orange masks covering their faces. Zonta Charlevoix says NO to Violence Against Women. With a Mayoral Proclamation issued 16 November 2020 by City of Charlevoix Mayor Luther Kurtz, 10 December 2020 has been officially declared as “END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN DAY IN CHARLEVOIX”.
Today is Giving Tuesday and the last day to participate in our Every Member Every November District Giving Challenge. Click here to donate to the Zonta Foundation for Women to support Zonta’s international service projects and help us end violence against women and girls.
Due to being in lockdown through 21 December to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Zonta Club of Brampton-Caledon in Canada had to change their plans to engage in the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.
Canceling their poster campaign because of the lockdown, the club is posting on their social media accounts daily, focusing on gender-based violence and human trafficking.
Local leaders such as Caldeon Mayor Allan Thompson, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and the Peel Regional Police have participated in the social media campaign.
Caldeon Mayor Allan Thompson and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown
The Zonta Club of Parma, Italy, organized an online interview with Sonia Montegiove, one of the 100 most influential women in the digital space, as part of its Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.
Topics included the gender pay gap, gender inequality and gender violence. Sonia was interviewed by Matilde Perego, third-year medical student at the University of Pavia, and Allegra Semenzato, third-year student at the International Relations and Organizations Faculty at Leiden University.
The interview was broadcasted via Facebook Live on 21 November.
The Zonta clubs of Area 5 in District 30 illuminated iconic buildings in the color of orange on 25 November as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
As part of efforts to commemorate Zonta International’s 101st birthday and mark the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism and Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, the Zonta clubs of Lagos I, Ibadan I and II and the Zonta e-Club of West Africa organized an online dialogue titled “From Awareness to Accountability.”
The theme is apt considering how significant happenings in 2020 has played out with the COVID19 pandemic, #StateofEmergencyonGBV, #EndSARS Protests and other campaigns pushing for awareness and accountability on multiple issues.
The two-hour virtual event included keynote speakers and a three-person panel.
The Zonta Club of Osnabrück Westfälischer Friede, Germany, illuminated its historic town hall of the Peace of Westphalia.
Because of cooperation with the Osnabrück Marketing Company, the city center of Osnabrück shone orange. Next to city hall, the municipal library and the Heger Tor, the central shopping streets Krahnstr., Bierstr., Lortzingstr. and all public buildings along the rampart surrounding the city—including many large trees—were illuminated in orange.
The club’s initiative was covered by Tagesschau, a German national and international television news service.
The Zonta Club of Kungsbacka, Sweden, successfully celebrated Orange Day on the first day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
The club has had an exhibition in Fyren (The Lighthouse), a local cultural building, for three years. This year, they added a craft exhibition together with the Red Cross and VS, a company for education. It is also the first time the building a small bridge are lit up in the color orange.
The club inspired at least 50 people to knit or crochet items in orange. Even an artist created some beautiful things. People either worked alone at home or at digital craft cafés. It was a great way for people to have company, which is so important in these isolating days.
All items are now shared in The Lighthouse. As it is not recommended to visit official buildings due to COVID-19, all can be seen from outside through the windows.
The Zonta Club of Roma Parioli III, Italy, conducted their Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign via social media.
On 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the club posted the above photo on their Twitter and Facebook pages with a message about gender-based violence and the 16 Days of Activism. The club hopes this will bring attention and awareness to the issue of violence against women and to Zonta.
Following last year’s campaign, the Zonta Club of Punta del Este-Maldonado, Uruguay, is supported by the Navy Coast Guard men of their city. The campaign was shown on local TV channels and all media.
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