The Zonta Club of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, hosted a CAUGHT (Citizens Against the Unseen Grasps of Human Trafficking) community event on 14 November. In partnership with local organizations, the club put on a pancake breakfast. Part of the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign, the breakfast was followed by the viewing of a documentary titled “Tricked” and a panel of speakers who discussed the issue of human trafficking in the community. Click here to see more photos.
Triumph High School senior Madison Amann checks out a silhouette cutout of a victim who died at the hands of an abuser before marching Monday at the State Capitol in Cheyenne. Students from the school’s Z Club marched with the silhouettes to the Laramie County Library in recognition of domestic violence awareness. (Blaine McCartney/Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
From WyomingNews.com:
A group of students from Cheyenne’s Triumph High marched in silence Monday morning from the State Capitol to the Laramie County Library.
Each carried a silhouette with them – more than three dozen in all – each representing a victim of domestic violence in Wyoming.
Their stories differed from one person to the next, but they all had the specter of domestic violence in common. There was Sharon Johnson, who was 43 when her husband ran her over with his car, leaving their two children without a mother.
There was Robin Munis, age 40, who was singing on stage at Old Chicago in Cheyenne when her estranged husband shot and killed her with a sniper rifle.
And there was Crystal Town, 29, whose husband was sent to prison for 75 years to life last year for shooting her in front of their 10-year-old daughter.
“We grieve for the family that lost the loved one. But beyond that, you grieve for the opportunity lost,” said Gov. Matt Mead, who signed a proclamation Monday recognizing 16 days of activism against gender violence in Wyoming from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10.
Those dates are not coincidental: Nov. 25 is the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, while Dec. 10 is International Human Rights Day. But since the Triumph students knew they would be out of school by the 25th, they opted to hold their march two days earlier to publicly honor victims like Town.
“Consider Crystal, who and what she could’ve become, what she could’ve contributed,” Mead said, turning to the students. “We all have a role to play, but the most important role lies on your shoulders. It is you all, your leadership, that is going to provide the answer that says, ‘In Wyoming … there’s no instance where domestic violence is acceptable.'”
Monday’s marchers were mostly members of Triumph’s Z Club, a youth spinoff of Zonta International, an Illinois-based service organization that seeks to advance the status of women across the globe. And like the silhouettes they held, many of Monday’s marchers said they were similarly affected by domestic violence.
“This is close to my heart because I was abused by my father, and so was my mother,” said Triumph senior Madison Amann. “So it carries a lot of significance personally to me, and it brings awareness and advocacy to other people.”
Another senior, Jessica Kling, said she joined the Z Club after watching her father abuse one of her brothers.
“There was one case where he put his tooth through his lip and continued to hit him in the back and throw him through things,” Kling said. “That’s the main reason I wanted to join Z Club, because it’s not right for people to have to go through those things.”
Kling said that, too often, domestic violence is swept under the rug, with victims unwilling or unable to confront it or tell their stories. She said that imposed silence makes it doubly important for advocates to provide a voice for victims.
“It doesn’t make headlines like it should,” Kling said. “This is showing people that it really happens; it’s not just some story.”
Jolynn Murphy, a co-adviser for the Triumph Z Club, read off some of the state’s domestic violence statistics, noting that 66 women, seven men, four minor boys and one girl have died since 1985 as a result of domestic violence in Wyoming.
“Domestic violence doesn’t just affect victims and perpetrators; it affects the family and friends who are left behind,” Murphy said. “The problem will continue until we as a society and a community stand up with one resounding voice and say, ‘No more!'”
Cheyenne City Councilman Dicky Shanor also took part in Monday’s march. Having worked as a domestic violence prosecutor for Laramie County, Shanor questioned why there hasn’t been more awareness directed toward the issue in recent years.
“It’s very prevalent still – hundreds and hundreds of files funnel through the district attorney’s office in our county every year,” Shanor said. “I just want to say thank you to all of you for doing this, for raising awareness around this issue.”
Murphy noted that several of the silhouettes used in Monday’s march will remain on display through Dec. 10. They can be seen at the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave., as well as at the Cheyenne Municipal Building at 2101 O’Neil Ave., the Joseph C. O’Mahoney Federal Building at 2120 Capitol Ave., and Grace United Methodist Church, 2950 Spruce Drive.
Local musician Ty Warner concluded Monday’s march with a song he wrote in honor of Munis, whom he shared a stage with the night she was killed in July 2007.
“A shot rings out, and a soul is dashed; a pool of life, and a song is past,” Warner sang. “Tried to reason why, but reason won’t return. And it happens in the blink of an eye.”
Stephanie Thompson, a member of the Zonta Club of Niagara Falls, will be participating in the Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women campaign, Tuesday. Everyone is welcome to attend | ALISON LANGLEY/Niagara Falls Review
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Both the Horseshoe and American Falls will be bathed in an orange glow Tuesday night as women from both sides of the border come together to address violence against women.
“People really need to be aware of what’s going on in our communities,” said Christine Filipowich, president of the Zonta Club of Niagara Falls.
“Violence against women is not something that happens outside of our communities. These are the people we work with, the people who live in our cities. If it’s not in your life it’s easy not to see it and recognize it but it really is right beside us.”
The Zonta Club of Niagara Falls is part of Zonta International, a global organization of executives and professionals working together to empower women through service and advocacy.
The local club, along with the Zonta Clubs of St. Catharines, Fort Erie and Niagara Falls, New York will assemble at the Table Rock Welcome Centre on Tuesday to mark the Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women campaign.
The international campaign is designed to raise awareness about violence against women and girls around the world and to work toward its end.
It also coincides with the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign.
That campaign focuses on cultures of violence, sexism, racism and homophobia and calls for the implementation of human rights obligations as well as other global issues.
“Zonta is very alined with UN mandates and, as a club, we’ve been challenged to come up with creative and new ideas on how to promote and participate in UN initiatives so we thought ‘why not light the falls,'” said Stephanie Thompson, a member of the Niagara Falls club.
The Niagara Falls event will begin at 9:30 p.m. with a series of guest speakers – including Joanne Raymond, governor of Zonta District 4 which is comprised of 39 clubs in Ontario, New York and Pennsylvania – followed by a candlelight walk at Table Rock.
The falls will be bathed in orange at 10 p.m.
In addition to the walk, the event will include a reading by spoken word artist and singer/songwriter Vanessa McGowan. Also, Jackie LaBonte, from the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre, will discuss the REDress Project, which draws attention to missing and murdered aboriginal women by displaying donated red dresses in public.
Everyone is welcome to attend the event and organizers expect between 50 and 100 people to participate.
The Niagara Falls club meets once a month and new members are always welcome.
Meet at Table Rock at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday for guest speakers. Participants will receive an orange “Zonta Says No” scarf. After speakers, candlelight walk at Table Rock. At 10 pm, Niagara Falls will turn orange for 15 minutes.
The Zonta Club of Mackay Inc, Australia, recently hosted a ‘Zonta Says No to Domestic Violence’ event with guest speaker Steve Renouf. His appearance at the Zonta club event was highlighted in the club’s local news.
From the Daily Mercury:
WHILE Steve Renouf was ready to raise his hand to tackle the issue of violence in our community, the former rugby league superstar says he will hold nothing back.
The guest speaker’s experience with domestic violence will be one of many stories heard at the Zonta Says No to Violence annual charity dinner on Saturday.
He said his presentation would be quite confronting.
The White Ribbon ambassador dealt with alcohol abuse and forms of domestic and family violence throughout his childhood in Murgon.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but I will talk about my experience growing up with domestic violence,” he said.
“It was nothing to do with my parents, it was more to do with what my siblings and I saw.
“I have eight sisters and three brothers; and even growing up in the community, we got to witness stuff which was pretty in your face.
“All domestic violence was full on, but it was the pretty bad end of it.”
Mr Renouf also wanted to touch on the good being done throughout the state.
“It is great what the government has been doing and the awareness being pushed,” he said. “It’s great to have a male take on such a terrible issue.
“Women should feel empowered to report.”
The table settings were done by hospitality course students from the club’s community.
Members of the Zonta Club of Glens Falls, New York, USA, participated in a media blitz to bring awareness to the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign and the 16 Days of Activism. The club is planning a one stop shop where resources are easily available to domestic violence victims. To coordinate with the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign, the Zonta Club of Glens Falls is working with local groups to raise awareness of domestic violence make it easier for victims to get help. Click here to read an article on the club’s efforts.
On Sunday, 22 November, the Zonta Club of Bunbury Inc. in Australia spread the message that gender-based violence is never acceptable. While wearing orange Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women vests, members of the club handed out white ribbons to shoppers at the Bunbury Forum Shopping Centre. Click here to see more photos from the event.
A panel of experts addressed an audience at a domestic violence forum the Zonta Club of Geelong Inc, Australia, hosted. The experts also took questions and provided information on services available to domestic violence victims. The event, held as part of the club’s Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign and its ongoing partnership with other Geelong community organizations to support the Barwon Month of Action – Stop Men’s Violence against Women, challenged those in attendance to look at how they, as a community, can inform, engage and take action.
In recognition of the 16 Days of Activism to end gender-based violence and the Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign, the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA, received a Proclamation from Cape Girardeau’s mayor, Harry Rediger, and the city council.
Zonta Club of Tallahassee, Florida, USA members Michelle Wilson, Judy Bishop and Peggy Allen show support for survivors of domestic violence at the Refuge House Vigil. The display showed the comfort packs they prepare every year for over 100 victims of sexual violence in Leon County.
A billboard aiming to bring awareness about domestic violence to the community resides near dairy queen on I-94 in Jamestown. | The Jamestown Sun
From the Jamestown Sun:
From “hope kits” to billboards, the Zonta Club of Jamestown [North Dakota, USA] has dedicated recent projects to helping victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking and raising awareness of the issues in the community.
