The Zonta Club of Montpellier Marie of Montpellier, France, conducted a training program for young people aged 17 to 21 in a vocational high school. The training module concerned the prevention of domestic violence.

Photo: Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island
The Zonta Club of Kaua‘i, all garbed in orange, present some of the completed Malama Pu‘olo Na Wahine, or care bundles, to Catholic Charities and Child and Family Service, Saturday during the awareness gathering at the Kukui Grove Center.

LIHU‘E — Saturday marked the midpoint of the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i 16 Days of Activism, Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women.

The campaign to raise awareness and end violence against women and girls started on Nov. 25 and will continue until Dec. 10.

“We still have a week to go,” said Edie Ignacio Neumiller of the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i. “But instead of just raising awareness, we’re moving to action.”

Completed Malama Pu‘olo Na Wahine, or care bundles in specially-created drawstring bags created by Girl Scouts in Troops 174, 775, and 4364, were presented to representatives of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, and Child and Family Service who were present at the Kukui Grove Center food court with information on the services each organization had to offer.

The charities were selected to receive the bundles because a lot of their clients are women and children who cannot afford the items contained in the pu‘olo, or because they are homeless.

“There is still until Friday to go,” Neumiller said. “Supplies are still coming in, and everyone is packing as more bags and supplies become available.”

Zonta Club of Kaua‘i members made a show of force, garbed in orange symbolizing a brighter future, free of violence and serving as a means of demonstrating solidarity in eliminating all forms of violence against women.

Orange also is the color of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women that started Nov. 25 as part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

“We want to thank Sara Miura of Deja Vu Surf Hawai‘i who was so enthusiastic about collecting supplies for the care bundles,” Neumiller said. “Sara had the collection boxes ready from before the Nov. 25 start date. Today, we did a final collection and told Deja Vu to send any potential contributors to the food court.”

During the 16 Days of Activism, the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i set goals to inspire and encourage Zonta clubs and individuals to raise awareness of, and take action to prevent gender-based violence, to let individuals know they are part of a global community of activists and are empowered to take action by being part of the campaign through the donation of care items.

“We’re not just raising awareness,” Neumiller said. “We’re moving to action.”

The Zonta Club of Kaua‘i and the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i Foundation are currently partnering with The Garden Island newspaper for the Christmas Fund that provides funds for people in the Kaua‘i community who need support.

https://www.thegardenisland.com/2021/12/07/hawaii-news/zonta-club-of-kauai-at-midpoint-of-16-days-of-activism/

Zonta Club of Accra, together with all the other five Zonta International Clubs in Ghana, have dedicated 16 days, from 25^th November to 10^th December, 2021, to campaign against gender-based violence. 

The activism campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the seriousness of all forms of violence and the injustices meted out to women and girls, which impinge on their human rights, thus demeaning them.

Such violence includes; forced marriages, rape, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), human trafficking and domestic violence.”

To mark the celebration this year, Zonta Club of Accra last weekend staged a token sponsored walk to raise funds for service programmes they have embarked on to raise the status of women.

In a Media Release dated November 29, 2021, to mark the occasion, the President of the Club, Zontian Vivienne Idun-Ogde called for an end to all forms of violence against women and girls.  She said the campaign is aimed at bringing change and upholding the human rights of women who form the backbone of society.

She said violence against women is a worldwide pandemic crossing every social and economic class, religion, every race and ethnicity.  She added, “ Violence against women and girls occur in many aspects of life including the home, work places, on the internet, and in open space”. 

Giving out some statistics, the Zonta President said: “35 percent of women will experience violence at the hands of their current or former partners in their lifetime.” 

Further statistics show that 650 million women worldwide alive today were married as children.  Out of that number, one in three got married before age 15.  Additionally, 200 million women and girls worldwide have undergone FGM with majority of them cut at age five.

Women and girls together account for 71 percent of all human trafficking victims detected globally.

Zonta International is a leading global organisation of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy. 

It envisions a world in which women’s rights are recognised as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential.  In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/zonta-club-says-no-to-violence-against-women/