demonstrations rallies public displays

Zonta e-Club of Roma Parioli shines a spotlight on Iranian women during the 16 Days of Activism

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The Zonta e-Club of Roma Parioli, Italy, kicked off the 16 Days of Activism with an art exhibition event to stand with the women in Iran. As thousands of Iranian women are risking their lives and taking to the streets to reclaim their rights, the club wanted to celebrate their courage and resilience. The exhibit will remain open for all 16 Days of Activism until 10 December.

The club invited experts such as Dr. Tiziana Ciavardini to speak during the event. Tiziana is an Italian cultural anthropologist and journalist who has lived more than 13 years in Iran – a country that she frequently denounces its anti-feminist regimes.

Many professional artists and beginners, who support the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, donated their works to the exhibition. Two guests at the opening night were artist Pamela Squarta and Mahroo Hemati, a young Iranian artist.

Until the exhibit closes, guests are welcome to bid on any artwork, and all proceeds will be donated to Zonta International’s Foundation for Women. In addition to the exhibition, there is also a fundraising raffle.

Zonta Club of Alytus brings awareness to gender-based violence with ‘You Are Not Alone’ project

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The Zonta Club of Alytus, Lithuania, worked with the Alytus Women’s Crisis Center for its “You Are Not Alone” project, which brings awareness to violence against women and girls. The club aims to raise awareness, reduce indifference and eliminate the perception that violent relationships can be justified.

Two lectures were presented—one in person and one online—”Awareness of Domestic Violence: The Dynamics of the Circle of Violence” and “The Path of Help for Those Who Have Experienced Violence.” The lectures were delivered by a psychologist and a lawyer from the Alytus Women’s Crisis Centre.

After the lectures, people met outside the Alytus City Theatre and formed a procession to the Alytus Women’s Crisis Center, where there was an orange door symbolizing opening a door if you need help.

Zonta Club of Schaffhausen memorializes femicide victims to kick off 16 Days of Activism

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The Zonta Club of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, joined Soroptimist Schaffhausen to host a memorial and solidarity procession on 24 November. The action was musically framed atmospherically with the choir “salto cordale.”

The event also included an installation of shoes, which symbolized the number of femicides committed in Switzerland in 2022.

Zonta clubs in Wyoming participate in state proclamation acknowledging 16 Days of Activism and Zonta Says NO

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On 2 November, the Zonta of Cheyenne, USA, participated in a signing ceremony where Governor Mark Gordon issued a proclamation acknowledging the upcoming 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and the crucial work the Zonta clubs in Wyoming are doing. The proclamation also includes language urging citizens “to support those who work to end gender violence and to learn the detrimental consequences gender violence has on the well-being of the community.”

The club has arranged for a gubernatorial proclamation at the start of 16 Days of Activism for many years, and this year’s ceremony follows that tradition. Zontians at the ceremony had a chance to share a small portion of the history of 16 Days of Activism, and some of the work done in the community to raise awareness about the Zonta says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

Zonta Club of Beaune Cote d’Or inaugurates Red Bench in honor of local gender-based violence victims

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The Zonta Club of Beaune Cote d’Or, France, held an inauguration of a Red Bench in the hobby of the local hospital in memory of Audrey Clément and her daughter Albane, who were both brutally murdered on 8 May due to gender-based violence. The perpetrator was an intimate partner of Audrey and a father to Albane. After the terrible femicide, the club supported the family with many hospital workers.

“The bench must be a memorial, and it is a way to remember collectively!” said Zontian Marion Leuba. “Everything must be said about this barbaric act. This femicide took place on 8 May by a man who was both the companion, father and colleague of his victims … we are here to remember once again and stop time. This bench that becomes a monument will be responsible for transmitting this history, reactivating this emotion so that no one forgets what happened that day. These femicides have particularly upset us Zonta members, and they convinced us that more than ever, we had to fight violence against women and girls around the world.”

Zonta clubs in Bulgaria Say NO to cyber violence against women and children

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As an extension of the Zonta Says No campaign, the Zonta clubs in Bulgaria say NO to cyber violence against women and children. With people using the Internet now more than ever, the clubs wanted to highlight the hidden potential risks and prevent and combat cyberbullying.

Under the patronage of Iliana Yotova, the Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, the clubs collaborate with experts from the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime’s specialized unit. They are also joined by a number of international NGOs such as UNICEF and Soroptimist International, and other national and regional organizations that support the cause.

So far, a broad public awareness campaign has been released, including several volunteer educational training sessions carried out by experts. The clubs will conduct debates and meetings across multiple Bulgarian cities in the upcoming months. 

On 15 April, the clubs plan to hold a closing conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, where the campaign’s activities and outcomes will be summarized and reported.

To learn more about the project and keep track of its activities, visit https://www.zontabulgaria.com/en/cyberviolence, or check out the project campaign video: https://vimeo.com/677231652.

Zonta Club of Santa Clarita takes one word at a time to promote the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

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Taking inspiration from the Zonta Says NO tool guide released in 2021, the Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley, USA, created a social media schedule for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Each day of the 16 Days centers around an inspirational word, and some days had different words intertwined throughout the day. Check out the club’s word-savvy social media plan below.

Day 1: Envision
For the first day, the club chose the word “envision” to “envisioning a world without violence against women.”

Day 2: Knowledge
The club wanted to share facts about gender-based violence around the world, including what happens in their town and state. They also shared why 25 November is an important date and why there are 16 days to the 16 Days of Activism.

Day 3: Community
The club shared the story behind the book “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez. The book is about the Mirabel sisters, which inspired the 16 Days of Activism.

Day 4: Orange
The club wore their orange shirts everywhere they went, and they had a photo shoot in front of one of the city’s library sculptures. The sculptures consisted of squares with words like Scrabble pieces, and the middle “I” is missing. They place their Zonta Says NO vertical banner in that empty spot.

Day 5: Service
The club’s Service Committee baked cookies and donated gift cards to Fostering Youth Independence, a local non-profit organization that assists foster children after they age out of the system.

Day 6: Allyship
For “Allyship,” the club shared photos of men that support their mission and what Zonta means to them.

Day 7: Student Engagement
The club was preparing to install a new Z Club, but it got rescheduled to 24 January. This will be their second Z Club.

Day 8: Advocate
Having so many students at the high school level who feel so passionate about Zonta and its missions help the club to advocate the need to share the importance of ending violence against women and girls. Education is the key.

Day 9: Outreach
The club received a proclamation from the city of Santa Clarity Valley.

Day 10: Awareness
In addition to the proclamation, the club got the city to display their Zonta Says NO banner on a paseo above a busy street to promote awareness. The banner was displayed throughout the 16 Days.

Day 11: Tribute
The club shared stories from survivors to advocate their mission.

Day 12: Listening
The club encouraged others to listen to the stories of survivors on its YouTube channel.

Day 13: Discussion
The club co-hosted a webinar with the Zonta Club of Burbank, USA, to discuss human trafficking.

Day 14: Remembrance
The club displayed their SCV Red Dress Project at several locations during the 16 Days. The original Red Dresses inspired the project, and they launched the SCV Red Dress Project in 2016. The project aims to advocate and share awareness of domestic violence within their community.

Day 15: Giving Tuesday
The club participated in Zonta International’s Giving Tuesday webinar and shared what they were doing for the 16 Days of Activism.

Day 16: Reflection
The club concluded the 16 Days with the word “reflection.” They showed a series of photos that reflect all their activities.

Zonta Club of Madison’s 16 Days of Activism activities

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The Zonta Club of Madison, USA, launched its 2021 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence on Facebook on 25 November. This year’s campaign focused on domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse. Not only was the campaign heavily featured on the club’s and club members’ Facebook pages, but it was marketed on District 6’s profile as well.

Throughout the 16 Days of Activism, the club also initiated several other activities.

16 Day of Activism Proclamation

The Madison Common Council presented a 16 Day Resolution recognizing 16 Days of Activism on 16 November. A press conference was held on 17 November to present a proclamation signed by local law enforcement and representatives and Club TerriJo Saarela. 

Lighting Madison in orange

The club successfully got two buildings lit orange: the Madison Municipal Building and the Dome on the Overture Center for the Arts. They also distributed orange ribbons in baskets to area businesses with information cards promoting the Umbrella Walk. 

First annual Orange Umbrella Brigade Walk

The campaign concluded on 11 December at the club’s first annual Orange Umbrella Brigade Walk at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Participants joined in to tell their vision of a future without domestic violence. Wisconsin State Assemblyperson Lisa Subeck presented a proclamation from Governor Tony Evers. 

The club’s activism and public demonstrations received coverage on the local CBS and Fox News stations during the campaign.

Zonta Club of Hervey Bay brings back Orange Ladies

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During the 2021 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Zonta Club of Hervey Bay Inc, Australia, hoped to run two separate projects. The first project was to repeat their efficacious Orange Ladies in the Workplace Project, and the second was an inaugural Business Briefing Boho Breakfast. However, due to various circumstances and time constraints, the club focused on the tried, tested and proven Orange Ladies in the Workplace Project for 2021 and planned to launch the Boho Breakfast in 2022.

The club decided that increasing their social media presence would be more beneficial to bring the Orange Ladies further into the public limelight. To achieve that goal, the club deemed it was necessary to ensure that the first sourced and secured as many business hosts as they had Orange Ladies. They incentivized local businesses by approaching a patron of previous functions, Go Rail Retail, who kindly provided 10% vouchers for each participating business as thank-you-raffle prizes.

With Go Rail Retail’s support, the club managed to position all 16 full-sized and an extra two desktop-sized Orange Ladies. In fact, they ended up having to wait-list a few businesses should any participant pull out. Thus, the club successfully secured and increased their future coverage of workplaces for their Orange Ladies. The workplaces that featured the Orange Ladies ranged from police stations, medical centers, vet and pet care, personal care and much more, with all the Orange Ladies front and centered. Employees were briefed on the reason behind the Orange Ladies, and business owners and managers also provided employees’ names for the raffle prizes.

The 2021 Orange Ladies in the Workplace Project plan focuses on participation to the general public by running a social media campaign. The club encouraged and rewarded the public to take a photo with an Orange Lady, post it on social media and tag the club and other like-minded accounts.

The club increased its reach in Hervey Bay and internationally as well.

Zonta Club of Saffle-Amal brings awareness to gender-based violence with public displays

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The Zonta Club of Saffle-Amal, Sweden, originally planned to put up five Zonta flags in Säffle square and five flags outside the public library in Åmål to raise awareness to the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. Unfortunately, the club did not receive the flags in time due to delivery delays, and they plan to revisit the idea for next year’s campaign. However, the club was able to find other visible ways to raise awareness on the issue.

After noticing the many empty display windows in their area, the club decided to stage multiple window displays showing what happens to female abuse victims. The exhibits were put up throughout the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Base Violence, and a Swish number was available for those who wished to donate to the campaign. The window displays gained so much attention that the local papers Säffle Tidningen and Provinstideningen Dalsland wrote a feature on the campaign and the club’s letter to the editor explaining Zonta Says NO.

Club members also spoke out about Zonta and brought awareness to gender-based violence in Säffle and Åmål while wearing Zonta vests, in which they received 2,720 Swedish Krona.

Due to the number of people wanting to know how many assaults are reported in Saffle and Amal, the club also added a window display featuring orange shoes that symbolized the number of assaults reported in the cities for the fourth year in a row. A Zonta Says NO exhibition was also held at the Saffle library to spread information about violence against women.

Throughout the campaign, the club used social media to spread knowledge, developed new relations, and in Åmål, they cooperated with a woman who works with female victims of abuse.

For next year’s campaign, the club plans to cooperate with Kvinnojouren Frida – Säffle-Åmål, a local women’s shelter, to create a more thorough event that focuses on solutions to gender-based violence issues.