Zonta Says No To Violence. Activism In Our Backyard

The ladies of Zonta Club of the Whitsundays are about to wrap up their annual 16 Days Of Activism, which began on November 25 with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, and will conclude December 10, with Human Rights Day.

Erecting 10 Orange Ladies across the region, Zonta Whitsundays aimed to raise awareness that sadly every week, an Australian woman is murdered by an intimate partner.

Club President Dianne Trueman said nearly 730 million women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence at least once in their lives.

“No country is within reach of eradicating intimate partner violence,” she said.

“Despite the scale of the problem and these worrying trends, financial commitments to violence prevention remain limited. Investing in preventing violence against women and girls is crucial to achieving gender equality by 2030.”

The 16 Days of Activism is aligned with the international campaign Zonta Says NO to Gender Based Violence and aims to raise awareness of and increase actions to end violence against women and girls.

Beginning in 2012, this period is often marked by public spaces and building being lit up orange, the United Nations colour of activism.

Dianne said that this year Zonta clubs across the world combine as one voice to take a stand against gender-based violence.

“Zonta envisions a world where no woman lives in fear of violence,” she explained.

“Through the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, our members, and allies advocate for action. We want community leaders to stand up and work for a better world for women and girls.”

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Two Whitsunday Zonta ladies with one of the Orange Ladies. Photo supplied