Early marriage is a form of sexual and gender-based violence with detrimental physical, social and economic effects. Despite laws against it, the practice remains widespread, in part because of persistent poverty and gender inequality. In developing countries, one in every three girls is married before reaching age 18. One in nine is married under age 15.

Zonta International is proud to partner with UNFPA to support efforts to delay early marriage and early pregnancy in Niger. Learn more about our Delaying Early Marriage In Niger here: www.foundation.zonta.org/Child-Marriage 

Today is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

Nepal has long been a country of origin for labor migration and trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, for the purposes of sexual, labor and other forms of exploitation. Learn how Zonta International and UN Women are working together in Addressing Human Trafficking and Unsafe Migration in Nepal here: http://foundation.zonta.org/Nepal.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and kicks off the #16DayofActivism. In her blog post, President Sonja Hönig Schough explains how Zonta fights to end violence against women: http://bit.ly/2fCjTtF

Read a blog post from President Sonja Hönig Schough at http://bit.ly/2geikFC and learn how you can take action to fight violence against women by accessing our Advocacy Tools and Public Relations Tools.

Don’t forget to share with us how you’re participating in the campaign by sharing your story.

The Zonta Club of Cebu 2 in Cebu, Philippines, has already begun promoting the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The club recently hosted its first event, “Cancer Screening for Breast, Cervix and Thyroid” in Mandaue, in partnership with the Philippine Medical Women’s Assocation (PMWA).

They also met for a one-day “Strategic Planning Workshop,” conducted with Dr. Juanito Zuazula Jr.

Read more at sunstar.com.ph.

From the Daily Camera:
by: Amy Bounds

A local women’s service group is asking the Boulder Valley School District to take a more active role in creating a culture of respect for girls and women.

Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County, which has a “Z Club” offshoot at Boulder High, wants the school district to offer a K-12 curriculum to address topics of gender, relationships and bullying related to violence against women.

“This year, we’re really trying to have a call to action, not just an awareness campaign,” said Zonta member Pam Malzbender, who’s co-chairwoman of the committee working on the project.

The group started its annual “Zonta Says No” campaign in 2012. This year, along with asking the school district to start a task force to look at curriculum, the group is working with high schools on a “culture of respect” pledge.

“We’re getting a lot of interest,” Malzbender said.

At Boulder High, Z Club members recently posted fliers on bathroom walls with the hotline number forBoulder’s Moving to End Sexual Assault, along with hanging silhouettes of victims of sexual and relationship violence on the library walls. The silhouettes include the victims’ stories.

“Once we read the stories, it was mind-blowing, especially when we’re going to college soon,” said senior Claudia Ibarra. “It’s good to be aware of things that can happen.”

Boulder High junior and Z Club president Adela Aguirre, along with parents and community members, also recently spoke at a school board meeting about the need for a more comprehensive curriculum.

“I have never been in a class that taught me or my peers about this problem or discussed ways to create a respectful culture in which women feel safe,” she said. “Instead, we’ve learned to accept a culture that tolerates the mistreatment of girls and women, both verbal and physical.”

Zonta member and Monarch High parent Julie Martinez told the school board that one of her two teen daughters witnessed threats being made against a classmate by an ex-boyfriend.

When her daughter spoke up, she said, her daughter also became a target. Her daughter ended up dropping AP physics and coding because, while the perpetrator was expelled, his friends remained in those classes.

“The stress of sitting in class with the feeling of a target on her back was beyond what she felt she could handle,” Martinez said.

Libby Symes, a Boulder High graduate and CU freshman, also spoke at the board meeting and was one of the student organizers of a recent demonstration against sexual violence at CU.

She told the school board that she wasn’t prepared for the “culture of heavy drinking and acceptance of sexual violence” that she found at CU. She was warned on move-in day never to walk alone at night and took an hour-long “bystander” class that focused on “how not to get raped,” she said.

“While I do see the intention behind this class, I believe there is a fundamental issue with teaching how not to get raped,” she said. “We need to start teaching don’t rape.”

School board member Sam Fuqua said bringing in an outside speaker to a health class might be one way to address the issue quickly. Changing curriculum, he added, would require study and a formal process.

He also agreed it’s an important topic, especially at a time when a presidential candidate previously boasted about grabbing women’s genitals without their permission.

“It’s pretty obvious we have a long way to go,” he said. “It’s important to create a culture of respect for women and girls.”

The Zonta Club of Traverse City in Traverse City, Michigan, USA, hosted a march on 27 October to show their support for ending intimate partner violence in their community.

A local marching band joined walkers for the march, where participants wore orange and spread awareness of Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women.

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)

Read more from whitsundaytimes.com:

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.

Read more from youralaskalink.com:

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.