The Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva joined by members of the Zonta Club of Fort Myers, FL, USA staged a rally on the Sanibel Causeway on 2 December to draw attention to the epidemic of violence against women. Several dozen Zontians and concerned citizens participated in the event called “Take a Stand in the Sand Against Violence Against Women”.

Prior to the event, the City of Sanibel presented the Zonta Club of Sanibel/Captiva with a proclamation in support of the Zonta Says NO To Violence Against Women campaign and the clubs efforts to combat violence against women. Local newspapers as well as local NBC and Fox news stations covered the event.

The event’s main purpose was to draw attention to the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign and the epidemic of violence suffered by women world wide. Members of The Zonta Club of Sanibel-Captiva considered this event a success judging from the outpouring of public support from citizens and public officials.

Members learned that despite education efforts so far, much more needs to be done in reaching out to the public to raise awareness on the issue of combatting violence against women. Members also learned that Zonta’s campaign cannot slow down and cannot stop.

The Zonta Club of Rockhampton, Queensland participated in the 16 Days of Activism by providing a speaker at two White Ribbon functions, distributing 50 “color your neighborhood orange” packs to be displayed at businesses and government departments, and with a social media campaign.

On 14 December, members of the Zonta Club of Milano Sant’ Ambrogio, Milan, Italy participated in the “Hands off women” campaign launched for the second year by Zonta District 30, Area 3 joint with District 28 Area 3 and the Italian Rugby Federation.

Members joined the junior rugby team “Grande Milano” on the field for a minute of silence to increase awareness of ending violence against women. For the second year in a row, members chose to hold the ceremony with the junior team (16-18 years of age), and have the young captains read the messages about the initiative. Members believe that the young generations are the best vehicle of promotion to fight violence against women.

The event was enthusiastically shared by the players, as well as by the local representatives of the rugby federation and the parents of the players, who proposed to hold another event at Women’s Day in March, involving also the girls’ rugby team and local schools as spectators.

Read an article about the event written by the Milan post (3,500-4,500 readers per day) http://www.milanopost.info/2014/11/25/zonta-says-no-violence-women-campagna-2014-per-combattere-la-violenza-contro-le-donne/.

Other minor initiatives were taken by club members during the 16 Days of Activism, such as attending conferences on Violence against women organized by peer associations in Milan and attending self-defense classes.

The Zonta Club of Northern Beaches Inc., Sydney, New South Wales, participated in several activities during this year’s 16 Days of Activism to support the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

Members co-hosted a “Women Empowerment Breakfast” with the Z Club of Mackellar. Lorna Scott, Advocacy Chair, gave a presentation and the guest speaker was Christine Hopton, President of Avalon Surf Club and Director of Surf Life Saving Australia. The local high school principal was in attendance and he asked to borrow the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women banner so he could host an all-school assembly about ending gender-based violence in schools. He reminded students of the school services available to them. There was also a shoe display throughout the school to represent the struggles each person faces. Each shoe had a quote attached to it. For example, “When will it stop?”, “I have two children” and “Why can’t anyone see what is happening?”

In addition, members of the club hosted another assembly at a local high school to present on the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against women campaign. Visitors from four local boys schools were in attendance and the teachers from the schools requested the material so they could spread the word and engage even more boys. Following the presentation students assembled on the hockey field to form the word NO. The local newspaper ran a photo and an article of the school assembly.

.

The Zonta Club of Manila III, Philippines actively participated in the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism.

On 22 November, 11 club members joined other local Zonta clubs to participate in a Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women walk/march at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. The walk was initiated by Area 1 Director Lia Bautist.

Club members also attended a women’s empowerment forum hosted by the Zonta Club of Greater Rizal I. There were several prominent figures in attendance, including the Mayor of San Juan City, local television journalists and local radio journalist. The event garnered local press.

Aside from the media coverage, the club printed Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women stickers and placed them on jeeps and bikes around the villages. With the campaign gaining attention, the message of ending violence against women was far reaching, creating a lasting impact on the community.

17 December 2014

Zonta International condemns the killing of 141 innocent civilians, nearly all children in a public school in Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday. “This act was a horrendous attack on children and their human rights. Zonta International joins Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and calls on all governments to ensure the right of all children to safe access to education,” said Zonta International President Maria Jose Landeira Oestergaard.

Zonta International envisions a world in which every child, girls and boys, has access to education without the threat or fear of violence. Our thoughts are with the children, teachers, parents and families affected by this senseless act of violence in Peshawar.

The former club President and current club president of the Zonta Club of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, were guests on a local television talk show called “Social Diagnosis”. The show was dedicated to the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women Campaign. The producer of the show showed his support by wearing a Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women shirt and verbally pledging his support for ending violence against women.The broadcast was watched from more than 3,000 people.

Background of Topic:

The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950, to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.

Ideas for the Day:

• Share your personal and club highlights from the past 16 days on the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women Facebook page, using hashtags #ZontaSaysNO and #16Days.
• Host a Zonta club meeting and discuss gender inequality and violation of the human rights of women as a root cause of violence against women, and how the post-2015 development agenda can further efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
• Collaborate with other organizations like Zonta that work on issues regarding women worldwide. Offer workshops and seminars together.
• Follow @UNrightswire on Twitter to learn more about women’s human rights.

Hashtag: #ZontaSaysNo #16Days

Images/Videos to Share:

• Video: A wrap-up of the 16 Days and Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women Campaign. The video will be posted on the Zonta Says NO Facebook page.

Members of the Zonta Club of Kitchener – Waterloo spoke to their news station, CTV Kitchener about their video campaign and that both men and women are needed to take action as part of their activities for the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

Watch the video clip here: http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=508324

Members of the Zonta Club of Ipswich Inc arranged to have this “Orange Lady” stand in the front windows of a salon, swimming pool, and community center to bring attention to the issue of violence against women.