Zonta Club of Austin MN Says NO to Violence Against Women

This year, the Zonta Club of Austin, MN, USA, did several projects to raise awareness for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, such as:

  • Planting 16 orange flags surrounding a larger orange flag with Zonta’s logo on it at the Peace Plaza in Austin.
  • They purchased signs around Austin strategically to raise public awareness of what the club does locally.
  • Mower County Law Enforcement Center was lit in orange throughout the 16 Days.

The club plans to continue with the same projects and more for the following year.

District 16’s Area 3 holds garden party for Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women

To raise awareness of gender-based violence, Zonta clubs in District 16, Area 3, New Zealand, teamed up to hold a garden party at the home of Suffragette Kate Shephard. Many local dignitaries and Members of Parliament (MPs) attended the event.

The clubs also invited speakers from inspirational organizations working to prevent violence against women.

Zonta Club of Montevideo raises awareness of gender-based violence

To raise public awareness of violence against women, the Zonta Club of Montevideo, Uruguay, visited several populous locations in their city with the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women banner and handed out Zonta Says NO flyers with the number of help hotlines for those experiencing domestic violence.

District 26 Says NO to  Violence Against Women in Japan

This year, all 25 Zonta clubs and Golden Z club members in District 26, Japan, promoted the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign all over the country to raise awareness of gender-based violence. Some actions that the clubs took this year included public demonstrations such as lighting up local landmarks in orange, marching through their cities, handing out flyers and more.

Z Club of Taichung Hong Wen parades in orange for ending violence against women

On 3 November, the Z Club of Taichung Hong Wen, Republic of China (Taiwan), held a Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women parade in a busy area with all participants wearing orange to raise awareness about gender-based and domestic violence.

During the parade, club members handed out balloons with the Zonta logo and the “Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women” slogan to the crowd.

Zonta Club of Bunbury Inc participates in ‘Choose Respect, Expect Respect’ poster competition

Leading up to this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Zonta Club of Bunbury, Australia, invited local schools to participate in its ‘Choose Respect, Expect Respect’ poster competition as a strategy to focus on respect.

“By talking about respect and exploring what respect looks like, sounds like and feels like through art, we believe that what is and is not acceptable will reinforce positive behavior and contribute to a positive change for the future,” said Club President Kerry Kerr.

Building on the club’s program, Kerry also said that “the Zonta Club of Bunbury is proud to support the Australian Government’s Stop it at the Start campaign and the WA Government’s Path to safety: Western Australia’s strategy to reduce family and domestic violence 2020-2030 to help create a future free from violence for women and children.”

The club received 100 competition entries, and 16 finalists from local schools were invited to attend a presentation afternoon with their parents on the 3 November. Deputy Mayor Tresslyn Smith congratulated the students and presented them with their awards.

The event was also featured in a double-page coverage in a local newspaper, which gave greater visibility to the project.

Zonta Club of Palermo Triscele says enough to violence against women

The Zonta Club of Palermo Triscele, Italy, partnered with the Zonta Club of Palermo ZYZ, the Rotary Club of the Panormus Area and the Inner Wheel Palermo Centro to promote the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign during the 16 Days of Activism.

The clubs set up an ‘Enough violence against women’ advertisement on a bus on the Amat line in Palermo from 25 November to 30 December. The ad also included a helpline for victims of violence.

Zonta Club of Calondura City Inc raises community awareness on gender-based violence and issues facing women and girls

The Zonta Club Caloundra City Inc, Australia, chose to use the 16 Days of Activism as a catalyst to raise community awareness of the issues impacting women and girls locally and globally.

The club placed displays of Zonta initiatives and programs in local libraries. The displays were enhanced by showcasing children’s and adult’s books with a related focus.

Facebook posts reflected Zonta International’s and District 22’s projects in addition to local information. A huge success was the ‘orange-themed’ park run. The club’s local park run committee was happy for them to attend the regular Saturday morning event and provide information, in addition to handing out orange iceblocks and lollipops at the end of the run. Significantly, they were joined on the morning by members of the Sunshine Coast Falcons Under 18 rugby league team. The presence of the young athletes echoed the sports club’s commitment to promoting respectful relationships.

Zonta Club of Akureyri-Thorunn Hyrna marches to Say NO to Violence Against Women and girls

On 1 December, the Zonta Club of Akureyri-Thorunn Hyrna, Iceland, collaborated with the local Soroptimists Club and students from secondary schools to organize their annual public march to raise awareness on gender-based violence and to end all violence against women and girls.

Zonta Club of Madison Says NO to Violence Against Women in various activities

This year, the Zonta Club of Madison, USA, launched a Facebook campaign, passed out more than a thousand orange ribbons and donated to a food pantry as a part of their Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women club actions.

Facebook campaign

The club had four focus areas for this year’s campaign: domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, which they highlighted on Facebook.

The club also included information on local resources. The campaign received comments from clubs in District 6, Zonta Club of London, Brisbane and Club of Beaudesert Area Australia, California, Hamilton, Ontario and more.

Orange ribbons

The club handed out 1,500 orange ribbons with information cards at several holiday community events. The Madison Municipal Building and the Overture Center for the Arts were lit in orange at the event. 

16 Days Service Project

In honor of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, each club member donated 16 food items to the Middleton Outreach Ministry Food Bank.