To take advocacy from awareness into action was the main goal of the 2015 Zonta Says NO-activity of Zonta Club of Mainz, Germany.

The club joined forces with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a globally active German organization promoting democracy, societal education and pluralism, which provided the platform of a forum on “Combating Sexual Violence against Women and Girls” with focus on rape in wartime.

The forum had three parts. In the first part, Maria von Welser, a well known German author and journalist, introduced the audience to her new book “Where Women Don’t Count”, accompanied by a documentation on her field visits to Afghanistan, India and the Congo, as she said, the three most dangerous countries for women. The pictures from her trip underlined the alarming and worrisome report of what she had experienced, all of which constitute severe violations of women’s human rights.

In the second part, professionals from Women Shelter, UN Women Nat. Com. Germany, the 24-hours hotline of the city of Mainz and experienced Zonta members discussed in a panel, root causes of violence against women and domestic violence, and the female’s subordinate status in society, with focus on refugee women who had suffered all kinds of physically and sexually abuse during their escape and in the refugee camps. Groundbreaking international instruments were discussed like the UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, as well as the UN Resolution 1820, which notes that rape and other forms of sexual violence constitute war crimes and will be prosecuted.

The third part of the forum featured the “Istanbul Convention and its significance in the fight of VAW. Embedded in this report was the open petition of all German Zonta Clubs during the 16 Days of Activism, which urges the German Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention in the current legislation period. Papers were prepared and handed out to the audience for signature with impressive results. Another great effect of this forum was gaining visibility and raising awareness of Zonta International amongst the audience and in the media, networking with like minded organizations for the same cause and the generous donations to the ZISVAW Project “Voices against Violence”. The petition result with all collected signatures will be handed over to the German Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

The Zonta Club of Brampton-Caledon marked the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence with daily email blasts with facts and other information regarding Violence Against Women:

1. Day 1 – Women are 11 times more likely than men to be victims of sexual offences.
2. Day 2 – 5 Things We Can All Do to Stop Violence Against Women.
3. Day 3 – Women are almost four times more likely than men to experience intimate partner violence.
4. Day 4 – The RCMP reports that nearly 1,200 Aboriginal women and girls have been murdered or gone missing in Canada.
5. Day 5 – Data suggest that one-quarter of female students in college or university have experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault; 90 percent of these students knew their attacker.
6. Day 6 – Women are three times more likely than men to experience criminal harassment.
7. Day 7 – Aboriginal women are three times more likely to report experiencing violence than non-Aboriginal women.
8. Day 8 – Young women between the ages of 15 and 24 experience the highest rates of violence.
9. Day 9 – Since 1980, the number of non-Aboriginal female victims of homicide has been declining, while the number of Aboriginal female victims has remained relatively constant.
10. Day 10 – Eight out of ten victims of intimate partner violence are women.
11. Day 11 – Aboriginal women are over-represented among Canada’s murdered women; they make up 4% of the female population but represent 16 percent of all murdered women.
12. Day 12 – National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
13. Day 13 – Spousal violence against women in Canada costs an estimated $4.8 billion per year.
14. Day 14 – 90 percent of sexual assaults against women by a non-spousal accused are never reported to police.
15. Day 15 – Women know their sexual attacker in three-quarters of incidents.
16. Day 16 – The last day of the 16 Days of Activism/Human Rights Day.

The Zonta Club of Hong Kong hosted a project called “Forging Ahead in Peace and Harmony” for the 16 Days of Activism. Throughout the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign, 250 women volunteers and target clients attended Mutual Help workshops, 450 women attended educational talks, 550 women and families visited exhibition programs at five locations in the community, and 220 participants attended workshops on awareness, early recognition and intervention of violence. The Club hosted two Advocacy and Service days, where a club member who is an Accredited Family Mediator shared how to achieve and maintain harmony in marriage, followed by more than 30 hours of counseling sessions, and a video presentation promoted awareness of violence against women. Additionally, 150 women attended eight “Dance with Confidence” workshops and 120 attended eight sessions of Singing in Harmony music therapy sessions, which included African drumming classes and a performance.

Jude Simpson (center in white top) with Zonta Club of Oamaru members at the White Ribbon Breakfast

The Zonta Club of Oamaru, New Zealand, in partnership with Safer Waitaki, held a White Ribbon Day breakfast ahead of the 16 Days of Activism. The event, which 65 people attended, featured guest speaker Jude Simpson. Simpson is a violence victim, but her story offered hope. With the right intervention and education, she has turned her life around. She is now employed by the New Zealand Police and is a strong advocate for the message “Family Violence is Not Okay.” Proceeds from the breakfast will go to Women’s Refuge, an organization for women and their children dedicated to preventing and ending family violence.

The Zonta Club of Beirut, Lebanon, visited two schools in Beirut and Saida as part of their Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign and the 16 Days of Activism. The Club showed a presentation and short movie, and discussed gender-based violence with young and teenage students in an effort to raise awareness and shed light on new laws and laws needed to help protect women in our society in order to stop the violence.

The Zonta Club of Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada, participated in the 16 Days of Activism this year with social media messages to raise awareness of the associated issues. The club posted a YouTube video each day, beginning November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women through December 10, International Human Rights Day, symbolically linking violence against women with human rights. Wishing to “mark the 16 days in a way that might resonate with the community,” 16 Zontians each spoke out on an aspect of violence against women and children that is particularly meaningful to them. Click here to visit the club’s YouTube channel and watch all of their videos.

The Zonta Club of Feldbach, Austria hosted a stand with a Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women sign at the Feldbach Christmas Market. The Club sold food and drinks and raised 1,700 Euros for “Zonta Harbour,” a flat for women suffering violence in their homes.

The Zonta Club of Ilocos Norte, Philippines, wrapped up its Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign with a forum on the “psychological effects of violence to women” on 10 December, Human Rights Day. The club hosted multiple events throughout the 16 Days of Activism, including a forum for male advocates against gender-based violence, a mass  in Laoag City, a media forum, a walk and Zumba.

From the Philippine Information Agency:

The local chapter of an international cause–oriented group advocating the rights of women and children has ended its 16-day campaign to curb violence against women and children today, the International Human Rights Day.

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The Zonta Club of Toowoomba Area Inc, Australia, hosted a flag-raising ceremony on 10 December in honor of International Human Rights Day. District 22 Lieutenant Governor Dr Ans Van Erp spoke at the event, sharing her commitment to stand alongside Toowoomba residents to condemn violence against women. Approximately 60 people attended the event, which marked the end of 16 Days of Activism and the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign.

The Zonta Club of  Nara, Japan hosted a charity event on the 2nd of December where they presented the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign to the public. More than 300 attendees were joined by a congressman, former congressman, vice-governor, mayor and representatives of local welfare facilities. Two local newspapers covered the event, and the proceeds will go to the Zonta International Strategies to End Violence Against Women Fund and a local public institution for crime victims.