The Zonta Club of Kuopio, Finland, organized a series of awareness and community engagement activities from 25 November to 5 December 2025 as part of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

On 25 November, seven public buildings and sites across Kuopio were illuminated in orange, including Puijo Tower, the Music Centre, the Theatre, the Viäntö landscape column, the Lentoon artwork and two pedestrian underpasses.

That same day, the club hosted a silent candlelit procession in Kuopio’s main square. The procession began with the Siskotyttö statue being adorned with an orange scarf and concluded with an orange scarf placed on the Veljmies statue. The event provided residents with an opportunity to show their opposition to violence against women and encouraged community participation. A total of 65 people joined the procession. The activities also received coverage in local print media and on local radio.

From 1 to 5 December, the club organized an art exhibition at Kuopio’s main library titled “Wonderful Relationships – Without Fear.” Students from five lower and upper secondary schools explored the theme throughout the autumn term and created thought-provoking works reflecting on violence against women and healthy relationships. The project engaged more than 100 young people, and the exhibition attracted more than 500 visitors of all ages.

All events were carried out in cooperation with Soroptimist International Kuopio and Inner Wheel Kuopio.

The Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley, USA, paricipated in “UNITE Against Domestic Violence,” a free public event dedicated to raising awareness about the ongoing crisis of domestic violence in Santa Clarita. The event was launched alongside the Child & Family Center.

The program featured powerful guest speakers who shared stories of domestic violence survivors that have been helped, spoke about legislation that will help fund services for survivors in the future; provided insight into the role of local law enforcement and the efforts being made to support victims and prevent further harm; and key legislation to expand protections and resources for survivors escaping abusive situations.

As advocates through the California Coalition to End Child Marriage, members attended a fireside chat with Chelsea Clinton focused on “The Golden State’s Child Marriage Problem,” where participants learned about the issue of child marriage in California, legislative challenges and barriers married children face when seeking access to essential resources.

To further raise community awareness of gender-based violence, the club displayed its Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women banner over McBean Parkway. The banner increased visibility for the campaign and helped spread the message throughout the community.

In recognition of the campaign’s signature color, members also wore orange and gathered in a public park to “orange” the community during the 16 Days of Activism.

With the installation “Against Silence. Five Femicides – Five Voices,” the Zonta Club Pforzheim, Germany, drew attention to gender-based violence against women. The project is based on real, recent femicide cases from the region surrounding Pforzheim.

The exhibition comprises three display panels featuring photographs, brief texts and audio pieces, all accessible via QR codes. The audio contributions are artistic, fictional interpretations inspired by real events. They give the women an inner voice while deliberately avoiding explicit depictions of violence.

The aim of the installation is to raise awareness, create emotional engagement and break the silence surrounding femicides.

In Germany, nearly every day, a woman is killed or seriously injured by her current or former partner. Many of these crimes are statistically recorded as “domestic” or “relationship-related,” but in reality constitute gender-based violence — femicides.

Symbolic orange shoes within the exhibition represent women who have become victims of violence and femicide. Zonta Club Pforzheim has been actively involved in the Zonta Says NO campaign for many years.

The exhibition was first presented in Pforzheim on 25 November, 2025. In addition to raising awareness, it provides information about support and counseling services for those affected. Further information about the installation is available at here.

The Zonta Club of Rome I, Italy, together with the Zonta e-club Roma Parioli hosted a conference to raise awareness about one of the most hidden and underreported forms of gender-based violence: abuse against women with disabilities.

Speakers emphasized that violence against women with disabilities is often harder to recognize, report and prosecute. Survivors may face barriers to communication, lack of accessibility or disbelief when they share their experiences, making them particularly vulnerable and isolated.

The event featured a powerful discussion led by Valeria Alpi, author of “La voce a te dovuta,” which documents testimonies of abuse shared directly by women with disabilities, and Simona Lancioni, a journalist long committed to amplifying disability rights and visibility. Their insights helped bring lived experiences to the forefront and challenged harmful stereotypes that contribute to silence and impunity.

On 25 November 2025, the Zonta Club of Amherst Area, Canada, led a community-wide advocacy effort as the Town of Amherst officially proclaimed Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women Day, marked by a flag-raising ceremony.

The event was part of the global Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and UNiTE campaigns and focused on raising awareness of violence against women and girls, including both offline and online forms of abuse. In advance of the day, the club implemented a strategic communications campaign, issuing press releases to local and regional media outlets and extending invitations to elected officials and community partners. Coverage included publication in local and regional newspapers and a radio interview with club president Lisa Emery.

Mayor Robert Small, town councillors, representatives from Lilac Place for Women, Anchor Youth Space, the Amherst Police Department and Zontians gathered at the community flagpoles for the ceremony. Mayor Small read the official proclamation declaring 25 November 2025 as Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women Day, followed by remarks from Emery, who reinforced the campaign’s call for awareness, prevention and collective responsibility. The Zonta International flag was then raised, and orange Zonta Says NO ribbons were distributed to attendees.

Following the event, the Town of Amherst shared the proclamation, photos and a summary of the ceremony through its website and social media channels. The Zonta Club of Amherst Area also sent formal correspondence to the federal Minister of Women and Gender Equality and the Premier of Nova Scotia—copied to local Members of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly—urging strengthened legislative and policy responses to digital violence against women and girls.

Throughout the 16 Days of Activism, the club amplified advocacy messages through daily social media posts supporting Zonta Says NO and the UNiTE 2025 campaign. Community partners expressed appreciation for the club’s outreach and emphasized the importance of coordinated action rather than working in isolation.

The campaign holds particular urgency in Nova Scotia, where domestic violence was declared a provincial epidemic in September 2024. Since 2019, demand for women’s shelter services has increased by 182%, with approximately 4,800 women and children accessing support last year. The province also reports one of Canada’s highest rates of youth cyber violence, while the Amherst area lies along a known human trafficking corridor, underscoring the need for sustained, visible and informed advocacy.

Walk for Dignity! Ending Period Poverty!

On 15 November, the Zonta Club I of Colombo, Sri Lanka, held a fitness fundraiser, “Walk for Dignity! End Period Poverty,” to raise awareness and funds for menstrual health and hygiene. The walk supported the BleedGood program of the Selyn Foundation, which promotes access to eco-friendly, reusable menstrual products and sustainable practices for women and girls across Sri Lanka.

The initiative highlighted the scale of period poverty in the country, where an estimated 40–60% of women and girls lack adequate menstrual products, households spend about 3.5% of monthly income on menstrual needs, and nearly 60% of girls miss school during menstruation. Approximately 963 million single-use menstrual products are discarded annually, underscoring the environmental impact.

More than 95 women and men participated, with support from corporate partners and print, radio and digital media sponsors. Funds raised will support community workshops, the distribution of reusable menstrual solutions and continued advocacy to address stigma and discrimination linked to menstruation.

Don’t hide behind screens! Stand against abuse!

In parallel, the club focused its 16 Days advocacy on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), using daily social media posts and a video campaign aired on a central-city billboard for 30 days, 100 times daily.

The campaign educated the public on forms of TFGBV, including online harassment, cyberstalking, image-based sexual abuse, doxxing and hate speech, emphasizing that online violence is a serious extension of gender-based violence. The initiative highlighted how digital abuse disproportionately affects women and girls in Sri Lanka and globally, limiting participation, silencing voices and increasing vulnerability.