On 25 November, the Zonta Club of Cebu II, Philippines, kicked off the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Hundreds of women raised their hands to call attention to the plight of women and girls around the world. Supported by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City Chapter and the City of Mandaue through the advocacy, “Abay sa Kahayag (Guiding Light),” the event aims to extend a helping hand to victims of abuse and raise awareness about discrimination, gender inequality and women empowerment.

“We are all here to celebrate every woman on this planet especially now, during the pandemic when millions of women and girls are facing heightened insecurity and violence,” Zontian Atty. Regal Oliva enthusiastically said in her opening statement.

A staunch supporter of women and President of Zonta Club of Cebu II, Petite Garcia added, “The 16 days campaign to end violence against women and children marks its 30th year and is a call to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence and to galvanize women from all backgrounds, women, and girls who are tired of being demeaned, diminished, and dominated. Let us not ask any woman or child to settle for less or to wait any longer. For THIS is our time and the time is NOW.”

Resource speaker Attorney Mylen Gonzales-Esquivel from the Children’s Legal Bureau, led a very engaging discussion on “Dissecting the Girls Not Brides Bill” and expounded on the need to PUSH for its enactment. The Philippines has a number of child protection laws, and yet, according to UNICEF, the country has the 12th highest absolute number of child brides in the world. The 1987 constitution highlights the vital role of the youth in nation-building and despite this provision, and other statutory laws enacted, none specifically address the issue of early marriage.

The Philippines is a signatory to a number of international instruments that promote and protect the rights of children. “For us to push for gender equality and empower all women and girls, there is a need to push for the enactment of the Girls not Brides Act,” Atty. Esquivel said. The Girls not Brides Act defines child marriage as an informal union or cohabitation outside of wedlock between an adult and a child, or between children. It stipulates to abolish all traditional and harmful practices, affirms the human rights of children, and views child marriage as a practice constituting child abuse. Any human being under 18 years of age, or any person who is 18 and over, who is unable to care and protect oneself from abuse is protected by this bill.

Attorney Bernz Amago shared with a resolute voice: “Providing the legislative framework of prohibiting Child Marriage and declaring the same as illegal sends a clear message that the country does not condone these abhorrent practices that patently violate human rights.” If passed into law, the act will be titled, “An Act Prohibiting the Practice of Child Marriage and Imposing Penalties for Violations Thereof.”

On 28 November, the Zonta Club of Cebu II hosted an advocacy Walk for Women to “Shatter the Silence and Stop the Abuse.” At the crack of dawn, an estimated 200 women and men from various non-government organizations, 50 members of the LGBTQ+ community, city officials of Mandaue City led by Councilor Cynthia Remedio, Chair of the Committee on Women and Family and Councilor Sol Cabahug joined 32 club members on the 3-km (1.8-mi) stretch of the Mandani Bay complex.

This impressive and enthusiastic show of unity and community calls for everyone to work together to say Enough is Enough and violence in all its forms and expressions must end.

The Zonta Club of Parma held a conversation with with Professor Aluisi Tosolini, principal of one of the biggest scientific high schools in Emilia Romagna Region (> 1,700 scholars), author of many books on education and member of many commission at the Italian Ministry of Education.

The conversation, entitled “Through the eyes of girls and boys: the challenge of education poverty and gender-based violence,” was guided by Annamaria Ferrari, local journalist and member of the Zonta Club of Parma. Two female and one male students of the high school also participated in the conversation.

The event was presented by the Councilor of the Department of Equal Opportunity of the City of Parma.
Many suggestions and ideas were presented: the pandemic as the largest digital teaching experiment ever made, the right formula for education as attention to the context and to the person, a concrete yet innovative vision about the value of education.

Zonta International District 31 (Taiwan) held an online meeting on 5 December for participating in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

Members from 24 clubs wore orange T-shirts, which symbolize the light and future, with the virtual background of Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women, and the hand gesture of “Say NO” to advocate together.

In recent days, one of Taiwan’s female legislators was exposed to violence, which aroused zero tolerance for violence in the society. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, one out of every five women has experienced intimate partner violence in their lives. In addition to paying attention to own safety, victims should also seek professional assistance, and should stand up bravely to say NO to violence.

During this period, the clubs in Taiwan held activities to say NO to violence in different cities, or to advocate in monthly regular meetings, letting the orange power wild spread in Taiwan, put an end to violence, to maintain social peace and harmony.

On 5 December, the online meeting, “Zonta Gives Love to Uganda~Sewing Machines Donation Ceremony,” was held. This event is in cooperation with the like-minded organization, Love Binti International. Their service mission is consistent with Zonta’s.

Over the past year or so, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, members cannot personally send love or give service to Uganda, but their generous dedication fully demonstrates the spirit of respecting and loving of others.

In a speech at the meeting, Sara Liu, chairman of Love Binti International said: “They personally saw the needs of African women.”

District 31 clubs donated US$44,000 within a short period of time to Love Binti to buy 250 sewing machines and some spare parts to help Uganda and remote areas in Africa set up tailor training centers to train women to sew cloth pads for local girls. Fifteen to 20 will be set up at a new training center, while the rest will be distributed in 20 local communities.

Through the micro-loan program, women are encouraged to apply for sewing machine to make cloth pads, dresses or bags. The products they make can be sold through the production and sales platform to help local women learn skills, enhance their economic ability, let the sewing skills turn the family well, and their children can go to school.

District 31 undertakes the service mission of Zonta International and the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, continue to promote gender equality, education quality, health and well-being, etc., and teams up with the like-minded organization to do local and international services.

In 2015, a few young people from Taiwan teamed up to Africa. With the cooperation of churches, local organizations, some international non-governmental organizations and Taiwanese businessmen, the service was started. Three major projects are planned: improving sanitation conditions; improving infrastructure and rural cultivation; and assisting disadvantaged African women in learning skills, economic autonomy, maintaining health and children receiving education.

The Zonta Club of Glens Falls, USA, collaborated with SUNY Adirondack, the City of Glens Falls, Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls Hospital, Glens Falls National Bank, Catholic Charities, the Glens Falls Collaborative and approximately 14 Glens Falls businesses for its Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The Glens Falls business and non-profit community will support the campaign by displaying
Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women posters in their windows. The Glens Falls Department of Public Works volunteered to hang flagpole posters on Glen Street through the help of Mayor Daniel Hall.

Some businesses will have giveaways “shining a light on violence” with orange to educate the public on the issue, as well as where and how to get help if someone is in need.

In addition, the Zonta club has collaborated with a breadth of community partners to bring total awareness to ensure that women’s rights are recognized as human rights, and no woman lives in fear of violence.

The Domestic Violence Project of Warren & Washington Counties, a program of Catholic
Charities, is contributing a community-wide display of the Silent Witness Project, a national
memorial honoring women and others who were murdered in acts of domestic violence. This
exhibit—on view locally during the 16 Days of Activism at SUNY Adirondack, and Glens Falls
Hospital—features red, life-size silhouettes. Each figure conveys the story of a local woman’s
life and death. The Uncounted Woman figure bears witness to those whose deaths have not
been acknowledged.

In 1990, women artists in Minnesota first created and launched the Silent Witness Project to
memorialize the 26 women murdered in acts of domestic violence in the state that year, and to
protest and spur public action to stop the killings.

The Domestic Violence Resource Center and Zonta Club of Greater Reno are partnering to bring awareness to the 16 Days of Activism.

“This year, leaders of the community including Reno City Attorney, Karl Hall, members of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), victim service providers, and many more are videotaping testimonials about their personal experiences or why they believe in standing against gender violence,” said Joy Orlich, President, Zonta Club of Greater Reno.

Click here to see the videos that will be posed each day of the 16 Day Campaign.

Click here for a link to the Domestic Violence Resource Center’s Facebook Page.

“We recognize the urgency of this ongoing collaboration due to the local, national and international toll that violence against all people, and specifically women, has on individuals, families and communities,” says Judi Howell, Executive Director, Domestic Violence Resource Center. “According to the U.N., 243 million women and girls between 15 and 49 were physically or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner last year. And, sadly, those are just the numbers we know about.”

https://www.kolotv.com/2021/12/01/sixteen-days-activism-against-gender-violence/

Each year, the Zonta Club of Lebanon, USA, holds a campaign to raise awareness of domestic violence. As part of the campaign, the group erects a display of pinwheels on the lawn of the courthouse for 16days from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10 to commemorate the lives lost to domestic violence in Boone County.

“A goal of the Zonta Club of Lebanon is to build awareness to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault in our community,” Zonta Club of Lebanon member Suzanne Leeke said.

The display also includes a hotline number for victims to call. Also, there are a number of yard signs up throughout the county at homes and businesses to bring awareness to the issue that is prevalent in our society.

The central Indiana Zonta Clubs also got together to march around the Clinton County courthouse. The Lebanon club joined the Zonta clubs of Frankfort and Indianapolis and high school Z clubs of Lebanon and Frankfort to kick off the event.

A proclamation was read by Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets and Frankfort Police Chief Scott Shoemaker spoke to the group about the impact of domestic violence on families and the community.

Also, the Director of Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program from the YWCA of Greater Lafayette, Meghann Dubea, also spoke of the programs that provide domestic violence intervention and prevention services.

https://www.reporter.net/news/local_news/zonta-says-no-to-domestic-violence/article_0945ac50-514d-11ec-924d-1b371f6a9eb7.html

The Zonta Club of South Puget Sound placed 83 orange pinwheels near the Tivoli Fountain at the Capitol Campus to recall the 83 homicides in Washington state in 2019-2020 in the context of intimate partner violence.

Per the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence which collates data semiannually, these murders include “domestic violence victims killed by abusive partners; children, friends and family members of domestic violence victims killed by abusers; law enforcement officers killed by abusers; abusers killed by domestic violence victims, often in self-defense; abusers killed by friends, family, or bystanders intervening on behalf of a victim.”

Between November 25 and December 10, the Zonta Club of Guelph, Canada, encourages the public to wear orange in support of ending gender-based violence.

Spokesperson Tanya Tagwerker says the campaign’s goal is to raise awareness.

“Our hope is that through education, awareness and programming that we can make a difference,” Tagwerker said.

“If we reflect on our thought processes, even in the last 40 years, and to look at where we have come in the last 40 years as far as equality for women and girls, we’ve come a long way.”

The Zonta Club and the City of Guelph turned the lights orange in Market Square during an opening ceremony on Nov 24. Guelph Wellington Women in Crisis generated awareness by raising a Wrapped in Courage flag at City Hall that same day.

For the remainder of the campaign, the lights in Market Square will be lit in orange from dusk until dawn in support of women and children who face violence.

Tagwerker said there are many ways the community can participate and show its support.

“We are posting daily actions on our social media,” she said. “If you follow our social media, you can find little ways and things that you can do (to participate).”

On 25 November, the Zonta Club of Kathmandu, Nepal, launched a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of speaking up against domestic violence, work/public place harassment and child marriage.

Women continue to make up the bulk of victims of abuse but often do not report it due to stigma and fear of not being believed and supported. The Zonta club has produced four short films deliver the vital campaign message – Kahihe kahi hoina, Kahile pani hundaina (“It’s never ever ok”). The videos were produced with financial support from Siddhartha Bank and MG.

The launch was attended by government officials, diplomats, development partners, civil society members, and media.

“Very often we hear people justify violence by saying it happens sometimes, so let it be. These short films deliver the vital message that violence/harassment and child marriages are never okay – not one time, NOT EVER and one must speak up,” said Seema Golchha, the club’s president. “The video, we hope, will encourage victims to seek help and let them know of the helpline options where they can safely call and speak up.”

The videos can be found on the club’s Facebook page.