demonstrations rallies public displays

Zonta Club of Tortola ‘oranges’ the British Virgin Islands

Zonta International Leave a comment

Zonta Club of Tortola once again ‘oranged’ the British Virgin Islands (BVI) as part of the global campaign: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Zonta Club of Tortola joined forces with local groups Unite BVI Foundation, Girl Up, F.E.M.A.L.E., WIN British Virgin Islands, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and others to participate in various activities on Tortola and Virgin Gorda.

This included interviews with community leaders and a keynote address by special guest, Ms. Ronelle King, a Multi-Award-Winning Gender Rights Activist. Ms. King, who visited the BVI from Barbados, founded Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against gender-based Violence to eradicate regional occurrences of gender-based violence.

The activities culminated in a march throughout the capital, Road Town on Saturday December 9th, 2023. While the Enis Adams Primary School Drum Corps led the way, various groups carried placards and banners and chanted, “Say No to Violence against Women and Girls!” The public was encouraged to take a stand against gender-based Violence.

Throughout the 16 Days of Activism, Zontians could be seen hanging banners and decorating trees with orange bows and signs throughout Road Town. Zontians also shared Facebook posts with tips on how the public could support women and girls who suffer from gender-based violence.

Radio ads illustrated the real-life conversations which take place regarding domestic and gender-based violence and let the community know where to seek help.

Zonta Club of Bangkok VII Says NO

Zonta International 1 Comment
  • default

ZONTA SAY NO to Violence Against Women & Girls by Zonta Club of Bangkok 7 at Rajaprachanukrou58 Nonthaburi Province School on the 8th December 2023.

The campaign included arranging the public relations board to stop violence against women and girls for the 16 Days of Activism at Rajaprachanukrou58 Nonthaburi Province School.

The club stretched an orange strip of fabric around the school for teachers and students and all came together and themself wrote a campaign to “STOP”

The club held the orange flags parade of letters for STOP Sign campaigning. All participants from the Area Director team the Zonta Club of Bangkok 7 and the School.

They also invited Z Club #LPP1008 supported by ZCBKK7 participate the event.

The club held a Special Seminar: Who can reduce violent acts? Violence Content Story, love yourself Inspiration and Self Defense technic Demo.

The club also joined forces to show stop signs. Zonta Says No to violence against women and girls.

Zonta Club of Guelph says NO with multiple actions

Zonta International Leave a comment

The Zonta Club of Guelph, Canada, in partnership with the Guelph Wellington Women in Crisis and the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Support and Education Centre at the University of Guelph, conducted many advocacy and service events over the 16 Activism. Their actions included:

  • Lighting city hall in purple.
  • Conducting two Signal for Help workshops.
  • Holding a vigil on Dec 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
  • Dropping off more than US$2000 worth of new women’s garments to support the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program at the Guelph General Hospital.

Zonta Club of Colombo III highlights Zonta Says NO at Christmas bazaar

Zonta International Leave a comment

The International Christmas Charity Bazaar (ICCB) is a much sought-after annual Christmas Market that is patronized by many foreign diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka and selected charities. It is a much-awaited happening in Colombo to kick start the festive season.

This year, the Zonta Club Colombo III is privileged to be amongst the few charities associated with the ICCB and has been a keen participant due to the opportunity of visibility to Zonta.

This year, the club used this opportunity to showcase and raise awareness about Zonta’s drive to Say No to Violence Against Women. All club members participated in the bazaar, wearing orange clothing and orange ribbons, representing their pledge to eliminate violence against women. They also distributed orange ribbons amongst many participants at the bazaar as a gesture of support to stand against gender-based violence.

The message was spread across thousands of visitors to the bazaar, including visitors from many diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka, giving widespread visibility to the cause of standing against violence against women during the 16-day activism period.

ICCB is an event that the club looks forward to every year to raise awareness of its work by using the greater visibility provided through the network of diplomatic missions and social media/ television platforms and also for the opportunity provided to raise funds for the club projects.

Zonta Club of Geelong Inc leads city for the 16 Days of Activism

Zonta International Leave a comment

For the past four years, the Zonta Club of Geelong Inc, Australia, has taken the lead in encouraging the city authority and other organizations to use the 16 Days as an opportunity to highlight the need to eliminate violence against women.

This year, the club kicked off the 16 Days with a gathering in a city park on 25 November with local rotary clubs, city councilors, a politician, members of local domestic violence service providers and the public. A sea of orange t-shirts arrived at the park to the sound of women’s anthems playing. A city councilor spoke about the increased awareness of the local government authority on the need to recognize this event as a major opportunity to promote the city’s work in this field. They also heard from a local domestic violence staff member about an art exhibition of work by victim-survivors.

Over the 16 days, there was a great deal of orange from yarn-bombing trees in the central business district, orange lighting on buildings at night, and many, many “orange ladies” at local libraries, hospitals and community centers.

This year, the campaign’s exposure, the club’s increased visibility and the involvement of many other organizations have risen significantly compared to previous years. Everywhere the club was present, they had a Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women logo displayed and promoted the goals and ideals of Zonta.

Zonta Club of Brewerton, Friends for Equality says NO to violence against women

Zonta International Leave a comment

The Zonta Club of Brewerton, Friends for Equality, USA, is one of the now-forming clubs, and they were visible in their community in several ways during the 16 Days of Activism:

  • The club called on members and allies to wear orange during the 16 Days. 
  • They encouraged self-education on these topics: Healthy relationships, signs of abuse and the services available to victims in the area. To help, the club created a display at a suburban library with information about Zonta, books recommended for reading and local community resources.
  • The club invited guests to their November meeting at the same library with the club’s Zonta Says NO display. A woman from a local women’s shelter gave an interactive talk on domestic violence and the formation of gender roles and answered the groups’ many questions. All 20 attendees learned something new. During the evening, guests pledged to say NO to violence against women by writing their names on handprints, which were then adhered to a poster.  
  • The club mounted a social media campaign inviting members and allies to be digital activists.

Throughout all activities, people were encouraged to add their single voice to Zonta – a group united to eliminate gender violence. The local newspaper published a story on the club’s actions.

Zonta Club of Cincinnati and Contemporary Arts Center present community exhibition about “Wounded Healers”

Zonta International Leave a comment

The Zonta Club of Cincinnati, USA, and the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) hosted a collaborative community exhibition, Wounded Healers: Transforming Pain to Wholeness and Health. This unprecedented exhibition featured drawings, prints, photographs and paintings that depict the personal and painful journey of physical, emotional and spiritual abuse leading to healing, hope and wholeness.

The month-long exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, opened with a reception for the artists, their families, and guests on Thursday, 9 November. This inaugural exhibition included 21 art pieces from 15 diverse artists who responded to an open call hosted by the club and the Contemporary Arts Center.

“At the Contemporary Arts Center, we strive to engage with issues of our time,” says Shawnee Turner, Director of Interpretation. “Supporting the Zonta Club of Cincinnati on such a relevant matter that impacts so many lives in our community while seeking to make the world better through art—this is why we’re here.”

The dates of the exhibition were selected to coincide with the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism campaigns. To further promote the campaign, the club hosted a kickoff for the 16 Days of Activism and a panel discussion titled “The Journey Of Healing,” featuring a club member, an artist and a psychologist, who shared their experiences of abuse and their journey to find wholeness and health – all held in the exhibit space.

The artists were honored and appreciative of the opportunity to share their work. “I am blessed. I would have never believed I would be showing art at such a prestigious gallery,” artist Laurie Ann Altman shared.

Through this exhibit, the club hopes to empower artists from the Greater Cincinnati region to bring awareness to the lived experiences of those seeking a world where no one lives in fear of violence.

Zonta Club of Cleveland Observes 16 Days of Activism

Zonta International Leave a comment

The Zonta Club of Cleveland, USA, was once again proud to participate actively in the 2023 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaigns. The club kicked off the 16 Days with an educational program presented by the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, an organization serving Northeast Ohio whose vision is to create “a world without human trafficking, one community at a time.”

Following the program, members participated in a service project, assembling holiday gift bags to be given to survivors of human trafficking by the Collaborative. The bags included a warm blanket, fuzzy socks, journals, affirmation cards, snacks, hot cocoa and chocolates, among other personal items.

Finally, in cooperation with Tower City Center, the club lit the iconic Terminal Tower building in downtown Cleveland orange to bring awareness to the Zonta Says NO campaign. In conjunction with the lighting, signage provided by Tower City Center in the building lobby brought awareness of Zonta’s cause to passersby.

These events were shared through the club’s social media outlets to showcase its members taking a stand and saying NO to violence against women.

Zonta Club of Noosa organizes a walk against domestic violence

Zonta International Leave a comment

Sunday morning by the river is the place to be for locals and tourists in Noosa – a perfect opportunity to spread awareness of the risks, impact and dangers of gender-based violence as part of Zonta International’s 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence.

Held annually by the Zonta Club of Noosa, this year’s event attracted State and local Council representatives, Zonta members and supporters and local media, with more men attending this year than ever. Zonta Noosa President, Robyn O’Neill said, “to end violence against women we need to challenge attitudes that perpetuate, rationalise and normalise that violence and deny women’s rights to safety. Shifting behaviours is hard and slow but gender equality means all of us and working with all genders is the only way to see true change. We need the men to stand beside the women all the way. While men can be victims as well, they are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of gender based violence.“

After a week chairing public hearings held by the Youth Justice Reform Select Committee, Noosa MP Sandy Bolton told the group what she had heard taught her much more than a discussion was needed. “What we’ve seen in households across Queensland – it starts right there. It’s all interconnected. The children who are coming out of those households – it is deeply disturbing that we haven’t broken the cycle and we have so much more to do.

“What we have found is there’s a lack of communication to the assistance available and also the early interventions that happen right in our schools. Just about every witness I’ve heard this week has said it takes a community, it takes a society. It’s not just up to government or one person, it takes all of us.

“I ask you to spread the word that there is help and within the homes to reach out. If you don’t know who to reach out to call council, call myself, call somebody and we will connect you. And I encourage you to follow Zonta on Facebook.“

Zonta Club of Kankakee marches to say NO and more

Zonta International Leave a comment

The Zonta Club of Kankakee, USA, and family members walked in the Kankakee lighted parade, where hundreds of people lined the streets.

The club had a banner supporting the 16 Days of Activism, signs on their car with orange lights and everyone wearing orange scarves. They also handed candy out to the kids lining the streets and buttons.

The club was announced over the loudspeaker, talking about their mission locally and internationally and how these 16 days were important to end violence against women worldwide.

The club also collected gift cards this year at their Christmas gathering for a local domestic violence shelter and sexual assault center. These gift cards were for gas, groceries, clothes and any other needs the shelter and center needed. They collected hundreds of dollars in gift cards and cash to help them.