Mangawhai Zonta stand against violence

 

Mangawhai ZONTA CLUB IS TO TAKE A VISIBLE STAND AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE ON SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2015

On Saturday 28th November 2015, the Zonta Club of Mangawhai and the other 28 Zonta clubs throughout New Zealand will unite with members of the local community to make a stand against gender based violence. The event will be a march, starting at Whangarei Town Basin.

Launched in 2012, the “Zonta Says No to Violence against Women” campaign is a call to action to end violence against women and girls in communities around the world. Each year, the campaign covers 16 days of activism, from 25th November to 11th December. Nearly 1,200 Zonta clubs in 67 countries unite at this time for this very important cause.

About the Zonta Club of Mangawhai
Our club has worked with local agencies and promoted the anti- family violence message wherever possible. We have held public meetings and have made four life size orange female figures with anti- violence messages printed on them which we display at most of our events. We have recently made a resource for local workplaces with contact details of local agencies.

This year, our club will be part of a nationwide Orange March by Zonta clubs and like-minded organisations across the country, to draw public attention to the issue of gender based violence. We will also be making sure our representatives in local and New Zealand government are aware of our efforts against this issue.

“We are very excited to be part of this national Orange March and hope that it makes our community aware of the terrible statistics that are still associated with the issue of gender based violence,” says Jan President of the Zonta Club of Mangawhai

Background information
Zonta International calls on parents, educators, administrators, law and policy makers to address the PREVENTION OF THE ROOT CAUSES of Violence against Women THROUGH EDUCATION and to facilitate effective mechanisms that will ensure Violence against Women is eradicated by:

* PREVENTATIVE programs to promote gender equal norms and violence-free environments that help men to change their violent behaviour.

* PROVIDING One-Stop Centres for women with medical, legal and social help for victims of violence. In addition, promoting short term shelters and long term affordable housing for women and children, and supporting vocational training for victims to become self-supporting.

* PROSECUTING the perpetrators through (a) laws that clearly blame perpetrators, not victims; (b) reporting systems and support to victims during legal processes; and (c) training of police and legal professionals to understand the issues.

About Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women
See examples of the thousands of events across the world and learn more about the campaign by visiting www.zontasaysno.com.

About Zonta International

Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a global organization of 30,000 professionals in 67 countries around the world advancing the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy.

Zonta International’s ongoing efforts to end violence against women and girls at the international level are carried out in partnerships with the United Nations and its agencies through the Zonta International Strategies to End Violence against Women (ZISVAW) program. Since the program’s inception in 1999, many millions of dollars have been raised to support projects in 33 countries. To learn more, visit www.zonta.org.

For more information, please contact Mangawhai Zonta at mangawhai@zonta.org.nz