Zonta clubs across the world participated in advocacy and awareness efforts from 25 November to 10 December as part of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism Against Gendered-Violence campaigns.
Watch select highlights here and read stories from other clubs at www.zontasaysno.com/zontiansinaction/
Read a recap of the 16 Days of Activism campaign from the President’s Corner Blog: http://ow.ly/kfL930hcMRe
The Zonta Club of Rotorua was recognized as being a leading group advocating for women in their local community.
The Zonta Club of Rotorua was recognized as one of a group of local champions in New Zealand for their work to prevent violence against women. The club members joined a number of other anti-violence organizations at an E Tū Whānau and White Ribbon Community Day event held in Rotorua on 25 November. E Tū Whānau is a social movement in New Zealand designed to encourage positive change.
Zonta Club of Rotorua, as well as the other groups being recognized, was welcomed onto the village green by Maori elders and given the opportunity to speak to the crowd about the work the club does.
Zonta Club of Rotorua President Karen Clark said it was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women.
Clark said members also ran an information booth and handed out campaign bookmarks with contact numbers for local domestic violence services.
In November, club members rode their bicycles for 16 kilometers leading up to the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Sporting their bright orange Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women shirts, the members rode around Rotorua handing out campaign information to locals and tourists. Zonta members involved in the cycling event also joined in the recognition ceremony.
Members of the Zonta Club of Rotorua pose during an event to ride 16 kilometers in support of the 16 Days of Activism and the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.
Orange pinwheels decorate the lawn in front of the Boone County Courthouse, representing every person who has died as a result of domestic violence since 2014.
About 29 pinwheels were placed on the lawn by the Zonta Club of Lebanon in the hopes of raising awareness for the number of cases of domestic violence in Indiana each year.
A sign stands among the pinwheels displaying a number for a national hotline for domestic violence victims.
Read more here.
The Zonta Club of Rockhampton Inc. mounted displays at the busy Rockhampton Airport and the local Yeppoon library in Queensland during the 16 Days of Activism and as part of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.
To promote awareness of the campaign and provide a range of information about local services and Zonta membership, club members mounted the displays as well as lit local monuments orange.
Two tourist locations, the Wreck Point lookout and the Singing Ship on the Capricorn Coast, as well as Riverbank lights in Rockhampton, were lit orange to symbolize the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
The Wreck Point Lookout overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the Singing Ship monument, which honors Captain James Cook, the man who discovered and named Keppel Bay in 1770, overlooks Keppel Bay in Queensland.
The Zonta Club of Veszprem Area held a benefit concert and art installation to promote the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.
To kick off the 16 Days of Activism campaign, the Hungary club welcomed local artist Kitti Tarcsa to share her work that focuses on examining violence against women.
Tarcsa was inspired by the Zonta Club of Veszprem Area to choose violence against women as the theme for her university thesis. Her work strives to describe violence against women by using three different faces that symbolize emotional abuse, sexual violence, and domestic violence.
Her work describes the violence against women symbolically by using a stencil technical on Plexiglas, lighting her work from behind. She also placed a reflective surface behind each piece so people viewing the art could see themselves in her work.
Tarcsa is a 24-year-old ceramic artist and interior designer and studied interior design at the University of Nyíregyháza in Hungary from 2013 to 2016.
In 2016 she won a school competition for her work in graphic design to raise awareness for violence against women and in 2017 she took part in the Hungarian national competition to symbolize violence against women.
In an effort to increase awareness and education about violence against women, the Zonta Club of Fort Collins has introduced a Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women speaker series.
The first event for the program, called the Zonta Says NO Speaker Series, was in October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The speaker for the first event was the Executive Director of Crossroads Safehouse, Pat Parker. Parker spoke to several women about the intricacies of partner violence, victims, and efforts to end violence in Fort Collins.
Following Parker’s speech, Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell made a proclamation for the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Attendees of the event were asked to bring shampoo or conditioner to donate to Safehouse residents.
The second speaker was Diana Laws, a leader in NECCAT, the Northeastern Colorado Coalition Against Trafficking. Laws spoke about human trafficking, the work of the coalition, as well as relayed stark facts about perpetrators and victims.
Attendees were asked to bring an item to add to bags that will be given to the police department to hand out to victims.
During the 16 Days of Activism campaign, the Zonta Club of Fort Collins is continuing to publish facts about human trafficking and violence against women in their area, as well as promoting future series events.
On 8 December, the speaker series will host AJ Ortiz who will give a presentation titled “Human Trafficking 101 in Our Community.”
The January speaker event will host Lisa Poppaw, the executive director of ChildSafe, a nonprofit that provides therapy for victims of sexual abuse.
The Zonta Club of The New Territories in Hong Kong kicked off the 16 Days of Activism campaign by performing a song at its 35th Anniversary Charity Dinner.
Members waved orange Zonta Says NO advocacy cards during the performance in front of more than 400 guests and over 20 perspective Zonta club members.
The club also showcased their 35 years of service and advocacy with a video and photo wall. Service partners of the club joined as well.
The Zonta Club of Damme joined with many Zonta clubs around the world to bring orange to a local statue orange. The club, along with the Mayor, draped the statue of Jacob Van Maerlant on the main square in Damme, Belgium.
This was to raise awareness of the start of the 16 Days of Activism and Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. Several other public and private places were also decorated orange.
While Zonta Damme decorated the statue on the main square in an orange cape, they also asked passersby to dress in orange and speak out against violence. The reactions were posted on the Zonta Club of Damme website.
The Toronto skyline is shining orange, thanks to the Zonta e-Club of Canada 1.
On 25 November, the iconic CN Tower and 3D Toronto sign were lit orange. The Zonta e-Club of Canada 1 specifically requested the 3D Toronto sign be lit during the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Zontians from the Zonta e-Club of Canada1 met at the “T” in Nathan Phillips Square for a glow-stick vigil.
That same night, Zontians from nearby clubs met at Niagara Falls, Ontario where the fall waters were also bathed in the signature orange color.
Club members said it was exciting to see the national monuments and landmarks lit up in orange as a clear sign of hope and support to put an end to violence against women and girls.
The Zonta Club of Burbank Area successfully collaborated with City of Burbank leaders to add their voice to the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism campaign by lighting City Hall orange during the sixteen days.
Mayor Will Rogers joined Zonta club members, Z-club members and other community supporters in memorializing the campaign.
The Los Angeles Times covered the story.
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