Members of the Zonta Club of Fort Smith, AR, USA set up a display of 5-by-8-inch orange flags spelling out “NO” along with a “Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women” banner in front of a local church to draw attention to the 16 Days of Activism event and the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

See more at: http://swtimes.com/features/zonta-says-no-gender-based-violence#sthash.RDaIcY8Z.QKAuwquQ.dpuf

The Zonta Club Brixen Bressanone in Italy partnered with other local organizations and posted flyers on bus stops with the emergency number for women affected by violence.

Background of Topic:

Gender equality is one of the most persistent human rights violations of our time. Gender equality is not only a women’s issue; it is a human rights issue that affects everyone, not just women and girls. We all benefit socially, politically and economically from gender equality around the world. Involving men and boys in the efforts to end violence against women and girls is crucial.

“Men must teach each other that real men do not violate or oppress women – and that a woman’s place is not just in the home or the field, but in schools and offices and boardrooms.”- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Ideas for the Day:

• Join the HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality developed by UN Women to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change. http://www.heforshe.org/. Spread the word and share this movement with the men in your life.
• Call on men and boys to share photos of themselves via social media wearing orange with a message explaining their support for the issue, including the hashtags #Zonta SaysNO, and #HeforShe.
• Collaborate with other organizations working toward gender equality and discuss how you can work together to advocate for gender equality and ending violence against women.

Hashtag: #ZontaSaysNo #16Days #HeforShe
Images to Share:

• Find this image here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/unwomen/10967976894/

Background of Topic:

While war and conflict inflict suffering on everyone, women and girls are often used as a weapon of war. Murder, torture, sexual assault and exploitation including rape and sexual slavery are frequently employed as tools of war.

When the conflict is over, women and girls who have faced violence are likely to suffer from psychological and physical effects of the violence they have faced, and may also face social stigma and rejection from their family or community. They also have limited opportunities to access justice, reparations, or the care and services they need.

Women for Women International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides practical and moral support to women survivors of war, estimates that close to 90 percent of current war casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children.

Ideas for the Day:

• Take a stand against the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war by adding your picture to the “Get Cross!” campaign. Simply take a photo of yourself wearing orange with your arms crossed and share at: http://stoprapenow.org/get-cross. Wear your Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women t-shirt.
• Follow @UNAction on Twitter.

Hashtag: #ZontaSaysNo #16Days

Images to Share:

• http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/infographic/armed-conflict

Background of Topic:

The World Health Organization says that intimate partner violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women. This type of violence includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as controlling behaviors by an intimate partner. These violations result in serious short-term and long-term physical, sexual and reproductive, and mental health problems, including increased vulnerability to HIV. According to UN Women, 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. In addition, 38 percent of all women who were murdered were victims of their intimate partners.

Ideas for the Day:

• Look into the issue of domestic/intimate partner violence locally. How prevalent is the issue? What laws are in place to address the issue? What services exist for survivors?
• Volunteer at a domestic violence shelter in your local community or find out their most needed items and start a collection drive.
• Head to Facebook to discuss why you say NO to violence against women.

Hashtag: #ZontaSaysNO #16Days

Images to Share:
Click to open; right click to save.

The Zonta Club of Colombo III has created an event “The Other Side of Beauty” in partnership with members of the hair and beauty industry. Below are their informational flyers:

The Zonta Club of Melton, Area 4, District 23, held a candlelight vigil Friday 21^st of November to kick off the 16 days of Activism.

The banner advertising the vigil, one of the speakers White Ribbon Ambassador Phil Cleary well known football personality and family violence advocate.

The club also marched in their local festival with our vigil banner a few weeks before the candlelight vigil

Background of Topic:

CEDAW: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CEDAW.aspx

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: http://beijing20.unwomen.org/~/media/field%20office%20beijing%20plus/attachments/beijingdeclarationandplatformforaction-en.ashx

Beijing+20: http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw

Istanbul Convention (Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence): http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/convention-violence/

Ideas for the Day:

• Study your country reports to CEDAW as well as reports to UN entities on the Beijing Platform for Action and Millennium Development Goals progress to look for opportunities for advocacy actions.
• Celebrate progress made in the 12 critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action and see where the most work still remains. Visit http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/get-involved and learn how you can spread the word.
• Attend the 59^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, NY, USA from 9-20 March 2015. Learn more!
• Write to a local/regional/national government representative or invite a representative to attend a club meeting. Ask them what initiatives are in place to end violence against women and girls and their effectiveness. Bring their attention to areas of weakness or areas that need greater attention in current and pending legislation.
• Invite civil society partners, peer organizations, community stakeholders and young people to join your club for a discussion on violence against women and girls and what they are doing to Say NO.

Hashtags: #ZontaSaysNo #16Days

Images/Videos to Share:

 http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/infographic/evaw
 http://indicators.ohchr.org/ (ratification of CEDAW interactive map)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lz7reNcPJQ (Istanbul Convention video)

Background of Topic:

The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, managed by UN Women, has proclaimed every 25th of the month as “Orange Day” – a day to take action to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls.

Initiated and led by the UNiTE campaign Global Youth Network, Orange Day calls upon activists, governments and UN partners to mobilize people and highlight issues relevant to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, not only once a year, on 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women), but every month.

Organization Tie-in: Unite To Say NO: http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence

Ideas for the Day:

• Organize a walk with your club. Include local government officials and relevant stakeholders to mark the 16 Days of Activism. Wear orange t-shirts, and carry Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women signs, banners and posters. Visit zontasaysno.com to get ideas from other Zonta clubs.
• Educate members of your local community about the importance of ending violence against women and girls. Share statistics and invite them to support the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.
• Twibbon your profile picture: http://twb.ly/2HECCO1R or change your profile picture to the Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women campaign logo that can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9lw6yqpqsk7hp0j/AACwkKUzDkG7BbGd_VZzF8bSa?dl=0
• Wear orange all day to show your support!
• Get together with club members and form the word “NO” with your bodies. Take a picture, and share it on the Zonta Says No Facebook page. See the image below as an example.

Hashtags:  #ZontaSaysNO #OrangeUrHood
Images/Videos to Share:

• A Promise is a Promise: UN-Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yvT85TitEI
• Click the image below to open, then right click to save.
  
  

Yesterday, the UN Trust Fund collaborated with the city of New York to light the city orange. Beginning with the lighting of Times Square and the Empire State Building, and culminating with a reception at the UN, with the donation of a “big check” to the Trust Fund and the lighting of the UN orange as well.

The program continued to 25 November with a celebration of the international day and a dialogue about best practices.

Launching the events was the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, the Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and other dignitaries, including Mrs Ban and Ambassadors from Suriname and UAE.

Chirlane McCray, First Lady of the City of NY, announced the new collaboration to end violence against women.  Actors and performers have come out as well. See the videos at UNiTE website.

– Leslie Wright, Chairman of the Zonta International UN Committee