Zonta International condemns gender-based violence on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Zonta International is committed to ending all forms of violence against women and girls around the world. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we join the United Nations’ call for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations.

As people around the world shuttered themselves indoors due to lockdown measures implemented to decrease the spread of COVID-19, reports showed that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified.

“Now, more than ever, it is essential that we work together to end violence against women and girls,” said Zonta International President Sharon Langenbeck. “Through the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, Zonta clubs around the world are uniting to raise their voices to bring awareness to this issue and advocate on behalf of gender-based violence survivors.”

The Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, which coincides with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, kicks off today and runs through 10 December.

This year’s UNiTE campaign theme is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!” It will take a collective effort to stop this shadow pandemic of violence against women and girls. Zonta encourages all of its members to support women and girl survivors of violence to stay safe and free of violence.

Examples of how our clubs have done this in the past include raising money for community organizations that support survivors of gender-based violence, volunteering at local women’s shelters, hosting informative workshops, public displays, social media awareness campaigns and more.

To find out how our clubs are advocating to end violence against women during the 16 Days of Activism, visit www.zontasaysno.com.