If current trends continue, the number of girls and women married as children will reach nearly 1 billion by 2030. We must take action to stop this number from rising.
Day 14
Child marriage exists in every society, culture and country. When the potential of one third of the population of the developing world is cut short, we all lose out on a better world.
Orange march in Luxembourg to say NO to violence against women
From Young Zonta Luxembourg, Z Club and Zonta Club of Luxembourg
A massive orange crowd gathered in Luxembourg on 24 November to march for the elimination of violence against women. The two young women in the photo are wearing their underwear on top of their clothes to refer to the recent rape case of the girl in Cork whose thong was used as an evidence of her consent.
Zonta Club of Toledo I spreads word to end violence against women
Members of the Zonta Club of Toledo I, Ohio, USA made orange beaded bracelets and distributed them with Zonta Says NO information and a fact about child marriage and violence against women.
Day 13
Millions of lives are torn apart by conflict, displacement and natural disasters. But girls are hit particularly hard. Syria, which is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises of all time, is No. 4 on the Fragile States Index.
In Jordan, one of the countries most affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, Zonta is supporting Syrian refugee women and vulnerable Jordanian women to enable greater equality and reduced violence against women.
Learn more at https://foundation.zonta.org/Eid-bi-Eid.
Zonta Club of Lagos 1 appeals to travelers with Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women sign at international airport
The Zonta Club of Lagos 1 in Nigeria, District 18, posted a large Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women sign at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The message will run throughout the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November – 10 December and will be viewed by thousands of air travelers and the general public to promote awareness to end violence against women and girls.
Additionally, the club visited the paramount ruler of the Elegushi Community in Lekki, Ikate, Lagos and conveyed the Zonta says NO to Violence Against Women and girls message to the oba (king) to pass it along to the community.
The club also highlighted its message at an end-of-year children’s party on 6 December.
Zonta Club of Punta del Este-Maldonado received support from fire department for Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign
The Zonta Club of Punta del Este-Maldonado in Uruguay, Region South America, is reinforcing the message of their 2017 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign: Real men only raise their voices to defend women.
The Fire Department of Maldonado participated in the club’s campaign this year, supporting the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
Zonta Club of Greater Reno creates installation featuring art from housing facility residents and staff
The Zonta Club of Greater Reno in Nevada, USA, District 9, collaborated with the Nevada Youth Empowerment Project (NYEP) to create an art installation for their Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
NYEP is a residential housing facility that works with young women who have aged out of the foster care system by providing them with a home-like environment to live in and a structured approach to developing job and life skills to speed their transition into adulthood and self-sufficiency.
With assistance from Zonta club member and retired art instructor Karen Gulash, the staff and residents at NYEP came up with an idea using mannequins to showcase the “light” (the side we present to the outer world) and the “dark” (our inner thoughts, fears and experiences, especially those based on harassment, abuse or violence).
The mannequins are painted and are separated by a mirror-like partition to reflect how we sometimes hide the bad experiences even from ourselves. The Zonta Says NO banner is displayed alongside the installation, along with orange ribbons, facts about sexual harassment and abuse, and a poster that invites onlookers to “Add your voice to end violence against women.” The display is in the lobby of Reno City Hall, where it can be seen both from the outside as people walk by, as well as by the public and elected officials as they walk through the lobby to City Council chambers.
For more information on the club’s Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign and the artists involved in the art installation, read NYEP’s blog post.
Day 12
Education can be one of the most powerful tools to enable girls to avoid child marriage and fulfill their potential.
Through the Let Us Learn project, Zonta is creating opportunities for vulnerable and excluded children—particularly girls—in Madagascar.
Learn more at https://foundation.zonta.org/Let-Us-Learn-Madagascar.
Zonta clubs of Essex County and Morristown host human trafficking documentary screening
The Zonta Clubs of Essex County and Morristown in New Jersey, USA, District 3, and the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking joined to host a screening of Break the Chain, a documentary about two survivors of sex trafficking.
A discussion panel included James Gannon, sheriff of Morris County, and Susan Allen Panzica, member of the steering committee of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
Join us in saying NO 