The death of 4 –year-old girl believed to have been subjected to a violent beating by her stepmother and biological father has caused great concern among the Mongolian public. On Saturday, 28 February, thousands of people were crowded at Chinggis Square to light a candle for the memory of the little girl and expressing their condolences. This vigil was initiated by the Facebook group and Zonta Clubs in Mongolia actively participated in the event along with representatives of NGO’s, clubs and thousands of city residents.

The aim of the event was to honor the memory of the little girl who died as a victim of violence and to and to protect the rights of children living with domestic violence, calling for state attention to the violation of children’s rights.

Written by Karl Etters, Tallahassee Democrat staff writer

A local chapter of an international women’s organization is urging all employers to develop workplace policies against domestic violence and sexual assault. The Zonta Club of Tallahassee pushed its message on Tuesday, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the federal Violence Against Women Act. Club members were joined by representatives from county and city government, top officials at Florida A&M and Florida State universities and Tallahassee Community College, private sector businesses and the legal community for a discussion about awareness of domestic and workplace violence and options in assisting victims. Sooni Raymaker, Zonta Club of Tallahassee’s president, said Tuesday’s event was about promoting a culture of workplace violence policies and programs to help employees with domestic violence issues.

“As with anything with violence against women, or violence generally against citizens, is becoming more and more prevalent,” Raymaker said. “There are victims of violence they’ve been suffering in silence and this is to raise awareness of that and get them assistance.”

Raymaker added that employees with domestic issues often affect productivity in the workplace through absenteeism, others having to share in work responsibilities and a feeling of insecurity in the workplace. It is estimated that domestic and workplace violence cost U.S. businesses almost $36 billion annually.

“If there is a workplace that will support a victim of violence, you will have a better return on your productivity, it’s a safer environment and it’s economic security for the victim,” she said.

Domestic and workplace violence is not limited to women, said lawyer Robin Hassler Thompson, who specializes in violence against women issues. “So even though we talk about women being victims,” Thompson said, “we know that men are victims in same-sex relationships and in heterosexual relationships but at a much smaller percentage.”

Thompson said one in three women will become victims of domestic violence and one in five female students will be a victim of rape. With three major institutions and more than 65,000 students in Tallahassee undefined FSU, FAMU and TCC undefined those numbers are alarming, she said.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare President and CEO Mark O’Bryant said the hospital sees about 125,000 domestic violence cases a year, but few patients seek assistance after their initial visit. The effects of domestic violence can linger and have an effect on quality of life.

“We oftentimes think of the immediate (physical) impact, but there is the whole lingering effect of secondary conditions,” including behavioral, emotional and mental health, O’Bryant said.

“When we talk about domestic violence and the impact that has on emotional health, we need to recognize that we cannot have a high quality of life without embracing this issue and addressing it in a very proactive way,” O’Bryant added.

The Zonta Club is an international women’s organization focused on improving the status of women and girls and holds a seat on the United Nation’s High Commission on the Status of Women.

The Tallahassee chapter has worked with the city and county in developing their workplace violence policies and implementing programs for employees experiencing domestic violence.

The fight to end violence takes the involvement of large community, Raymaker said.

“It’s not just one voice,” she said. “We have 38,000 members so we think advocating change takes an entire community and with that many voices and many more voices joining we can effectuate change.”

“If there is a workplace that will support a victim of violence, you will have a better return on your productivity, it’s a safer environment and it’s economic security for the victim.”

SOONI RAYMAKER, Zonta Club of Tallahassee

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.

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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.