The Zonta Club of Ipswich is bringing awareness to violence against women with “orange ladies” appearing at 12 local businesses.

Cath Fernbach, Connie Riley, Maxine Thiele, Sue Hansen, Ann Cleghorn, Lauren Haack, Athena Murray, Joan Watson and Pam Harrison standing in front of the banner erected on Monday morning to support domestic violence awareness.(Courtesy of Whitsunday Times)

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MAXINE Thiele and the Whitsundays Zonta Club are determined to spread the message of preventing domestic violence and they know just how they are going to do it.

From May 9-23, 12 “orange ladies”, made by the Airlie Beach Men’s Shed, will be displayed in 12 businesses around Airlie.

The businesses are: the PCYC, the Coffee Club, Bright Eyes, Airllywood, Smart Arts, Giggle Kids, Fat Frog Cafe, Cherrie Baby, IDEAL Placements, Reef Gateway and Porters.

The final orange lady will be placed at the intersection of Shute Harbour and Abell roads. As advocacy director of the Whitsundays Zonta Club, Ms Thiele said the idea of the orange ladies was an initiative of the Ipswich Zonta Club.

“And orange is the colour adopted by Zonta International as the colour that represents violence,” she said.

“It doesn’t just represent domestic violence, but violence in general.”

Zonta International’s campaign “Zonta says NO to Violence against Women” will work in conjunction with May’s Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Awareness month.

On Monday morning, a banner was erected on the hill of Shute Harbour Road above Airlie Beach to catch the attention of locals.

Ms Thiele said the more that could be done to make people aware of domestic violence, the better.

“We will also tie orange ribbons around various trees in town so we hope locals and local businesses can get involved,” she said.

“It would be great if locals could tie orange ribbons around trees in their gardens to show they support the campaign.”

The Zonta Clubs are not stopping there with an even bigger event at the end of the month.

On May 20, several Zonta Club members will take part in a “Zonta says NO” campaign at the Cowboys vs Broncos match in Townsville.

The Whitsunday club will join 70 others from district 22 of Mackay to Townsville, all dressed in orange to promote the campaign.

The Zonta Club of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, recently partnered with a local sports team to expand their Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. Before a major female volleyball game, each spectator that lit a candle with the inscription Zonta Says NO to Violence was admitted free of charge. The candles were placed on a table to form the word “STOP.”

Players wore Zonta t-shirts with the inscription STOP VIOLENCE at the beginning of the game, during the presentation of the team members and at the end of the game.

© 2016 Coastal Television

On 24 March, the Zonta Club of Anchorage, Alaksa, USA, held a “Choose Respect March” to show their community that Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women.

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People alike marched through downtown Anchorage to help end violence against women and girls.

Dozens of people came out today to show their support for “Zonta” an international program aimed at ending domestic abuse.

Your Alaska Link spoke with the president of the anchorage chapter, Shelli Cutting, who talked a little bit about the march.

“We’re having the “Choose Respect March” to show the community that we stand together to end violence in our community.”

According to Zonta’s website, about thirty-percent of women report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner.

“One of our biggest emphasis is on ending violence” says Shelli Cutting.

Many stood strong outside during the rally holding these signs, saying “stop sexual violence against women” and “Zonta says no.”

One woman spoke about her friend that was a victim of violence against women…. She told of the night she was at that friend’s house and the friends husband showed up.

“he chased her down, and killed her, shot her in the back of the head as she was trying to escape the house.”

The group not only works to raise awareness across communities everywhere.

They also want to improve laws surrounding woman’s rights.

These shirts hang as part of the t-shirt project to also help fight violence against women.

I found out some of these shirts were created by woman in the anchorage corrections department.

Debbie Graham says she has been with Zonta for more than twenty years.

Graham says if you see abuse or if you are being abused, to tell someone, and reach out for help.

“To tell someone, to speak to someone, to let them know, so that they can have someone to stand beside them… Even if your too afraid to go to a shelter or what have you, just let somebody know” says Graham.

From the Awoko Biz
By Mariam Sulaiman Bah

Crime against women in Sierra Leone is on the increase and has become a sensational and despicable issue for leading women’s organizations such as Zonta International, which has started an awareness campaign, “No to Violence against Women and Children”.
As one of the leading women organizations in the country, Zonta International is taking the lead in pioneering a campaign on violence against women and children such as wife beating, degrading traditional practices, child labour, denial of female education, rape and child marriage, among many others.
Members of Zonta opined that most women in Sierra Leone are vulnerable and marginalized, creating a situation where they are easily mal-treated because of certain traditional and cultural laws impeding women’s right.
The president of Zonta intl. Sierra Leon,e Eileen Hanciles explained to Awoko Newspaper that her organization is focused on empowering women through service and advocacy therefore it is relevant for them to take up such adventure in fighting for women’s right and protection.
“Women especially in the rural areas are faced with serious challenges as they are exposed to crimes committed against them and because of traditional practices, barriers and discrimination, women are afraid to raise their voices to fight for themselves. Zonta is lending a helping hand to support women and stop these perpetrators and also to empower women through education,” says Mrs. Hanciles.
She explained that since its inception in 1976, Zonta International Sierra Leone has been involved in community development projects mainly focused on health, education and advocacy against gender based violence.
The organization has a membership of thirty-three (33) professional and business women yearning for women’s empowerment and better education as means to develop and sustained them in their future development to make them self-reliant.
Zonta International Sierra Leone is located at Main Motor Road, Brookfields via Bus-halt and as part of their campaign and mandate the organization on Thursday launched and set up ‘advocacy wall’ campaign, with inscription which reads ‘Say No to Violence against Women and Children’.
Eileen Hanciles furthered that “in response to the myriad of problems women are faced with, in particular violence against women, Zonta International Sierra Leone has set up an advocacy wall to raise awareness in the community to inform both young and old about the prevalence of violence against women  and to work towards its elimination for better development”.

The Zonta Club of Brisbane Metro Breakfast Inc, Australia, participated in the 16 Days of Activism in December with a fellowship walk. Zontians, wearing orange Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women shirts, walked around Brisbane City to raise awareness of gender-based violence. The walking route included important suffrage sites in the city.

George Tityukov, deputy mayor of Plovdiv for “Sport, youth activities and social policy”, in cooperation with representatives of Zonta Club Plovdiv and “Gender alternatives” produced an exhibition on the Main Street of Plovdiv entitled “NO to violence against women.”

The initiative is part of a global campaign, which runs from November 25 to December 10, targeting the various forms of violence against women. The aim is to pay attention and give voice to take concrete action to eradicate the problem of domestic violence against women and girls. This is done through prevention, protection of victims and prosecution of perpetrators.

Vladimira Tracheva of Zonta Club Plovdiv said that Bulgaria is among the eight countries from the Council of Europe which has not signed the Istanbul Convention:

“We, Zonta Club Plovdiv and “Gender alternatives”, want to alleviate the issue via an e-petition to say “NO to violence, YES to the signing of the Istanbul Convention”, she explained.

Plovdiv has free services for victims of domestic violence, advice from lawyers, social workers and psychologists in different programs working with adults and children.

Anyone wishing to sign the petition can do so at the following address: http://grajdanskapeticia.com/pview.aspx?pi=BG31547

The Zonta Club of Pontiac North Oakland club had a display in the lobby of their County Courthouse of Oakland County, Michigan, USA for the duration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence.

The display featured 11 pair of shoes representing the deaths from domestic violence in the county during 2014. The club also shared on their club Facebook page, thepixelproject “16 ways to…” relate to gender violence each day. i.e. http://16days.thepixelproject.net/16-safe-and-creative-way…/

Over the 16 days, viewership increased on their social media. The club page had 2,172 views, an average of 135 per day. During that time, theyincreased our page likes. There is no quantitative data for the display, but the building was open 8am – 5pm, Monday – Friday. The display was visible to the public, law enforcement, and attorneys throughout the entire county who use this facility frequently.

The Zonta Club of Warwick Inc held multiple events during the 16 Days of Activism. Club members provided help to Warwick Safe Haven Inc, their local domestic violence assistance group. There they catered and gave general assistance at an information night. Additionally, they provided a screening of a film about Rosie Barrie, Australian of the Year, and domestic violence issues.

The club also hosted a breakfast to fund raise and advocate against domestic violence in their community. Keynote speakers included police officers and a White Ribbon advocate. Over 150 people attended from multiple organizations and they networked between groups for further action. Attendees were challenged to report all violence when observed.

Lastly, on 10 December, the club collaborated with the Warwick Peace Project and Warwick Safe Haven to hold a vigil and a march from town hall to Leslie Park, advocating against domestic violence. The CEO of the council, councilors, police officers and members of the community all attended the ceremony. A police spokesperson and the CEO of the council addressed the more than 60 people who attended the march.

Read more on the Warwick Daily News website.

The Zonta Club of Brisbane East Inc’s 2015 Campaign commenced with a radio interview on national radio and was followed by an afternoon tea launch by Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO of the “orange” ladies – 16 wooden silhouettes – which were the strategically placed in locations to spread the message of Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women.

Safety Cards for distribution across the region were also launched.  These provided emergency phone numbers for women experiencing domestic or family violence.

The club also distributed Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women car bumper stickers and provided daily updates via Facebook and Twitter with statistical information on the extent and breath of violence against women and children and its impact on the community.

The club was congratulated in the State Parliament for its efforts during the 16 Days of Activism and also sponsored the training of facilitators to introduce a program LoveBites in seven high schools in 2016.  The program targets 15-17 year olds and covers violence, sexual assault and respectful relationships.

The Zonta Club of Gaylord, Michigan, USA, supported the Women’s Resource of Northern Michigan during its Harvest Food and Supply Drive during the 16 days of activism. There, the supplied collection boxes for donations and non-perishable foods, paper products, personal care items and other items that the resource center receives. Collection boxes were out at four public areas from 25 November through 10 December. The Women’s Resource Center Safe Home operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides services to domestic abuse victims at no charge. In 2014, they provided 2,502 nights of shelter and more than 7,500 meals to survivors of violence and their children in the surrounding area, many of whom arrived without any belongings other than the clothes they wore.

The Zonta Club of Gaylord offers an annual scholarship through the Women’s Resource Center to provide help with education expenses to a survivor of violence. The funds provide anything from transportation, child care, books and tuition. The club also worked with the Women’s Resource Center to establish the Clothesline Project which highlights the personal feelings of women who have been sexually assaulted.