Photo from The Courier

Two dozen people—including a couple of men—turned out for the Community Glow Walk to End the Silence, hosted by the Zonta Club of Findlay, USA, District 5.

The club has participated in the downtown walk every year since 2012. Club Advocacy chairwoman Karen Flanagan said in years past, the event has been a “silent walk,” with participants symbolically placing orange tape across their mouths to indicate domestic violence and human trafficking victims’ lack of a voice.

This year, though, in light of women across the country speaking out against sexual harassment, the club opted to “be the voice, as opposed to being silent,” Flanagan said.

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Each year, the Zonta Club of Billings, USA, in District 12, plans and sponsors a series of art classes taught by a local artist.

This year, the club created a display in a local hospital of the art created by Zontians and domestic violence survivors from Angela’s Piazza: Women’s Drop-In Center.

Onlookers perused the art and wooden witness profiles portraying stories of women and children. The table also included materials on the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign and information about the Zonta Club of Billings.

Zontians and Angela’s Piazza continue to support this program and believe art to be an important tool in the process of stress relief and healing for victims and survivors of domestic violence.

“I’m always amazed at the results of our art project,” a Zontian says. “There is so much thought and emotion that goes into each drawing. You can tell these drawings are looking into the heart and soul of the women. Each one [is] so beautiful, touching and unique.”

Additionally, the Zonta Club of Billings marched in the 2017 Billings Annual Holiday Parade. The parade took place on 24 November, the day before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Zontians carried a 16-foot “Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women “banner and handed out 1,000 Zonta Says NO-branded hand warmers to the crowd. Joining club members were other women from the state and survivors of trafficking and domestic violence.

The Zonta clubs in Luxembourg, District 27, joined together and partnered with the Ministry of Equal Opportunities for Orange Week during the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The groups lit up buildings, monuments and public places in orange as a sign of solidarity, held a march attended by Minister of Equal Opportunities Lydia Mutsch, Minister of Justice Félix Braz and Councilor Simone Beissel and organized seminars.

Luxembourg has an efficient legislative and social system, close in partnership with nongovernmental organizations. The Council of Europe Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence is in the process of being ratified.

Luxembourgish Zontians took an active part in all presentations, discussions and conferences.  The union of Zonta clubs in Luxemburg was under the lead of their president Danielle Becker-Bauer.

Orange Week was widely covered in the media, and the clubs created a Facebook page.

The two Zonta clubs in the Bahamas are uniting to promote the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign during the 16 Days of Activism.

The Zonta Clubs of New Providence and Nassau, District 11, “painted their town orange” by tying orange ribbons and bows around trees in the week leading up to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to speak out against acts of violence.

The clubs also hosted a town hall meeting, held a “Walk In My Shoes” event and commissioned an artist to depict violence.

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