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For immediate release

22 November 2016

WOMEN TO UNITE AGAINST VIOLENCE

Friday 25 November 2016 is the beginning of a worldwide campaign of “Zonta Says No to Violence against Women” by women’s group Zonta.

The Zonta campaign covers 16 days of activism, from 25 November to 10 December. Nearly 1,200 Zonta clubs in 67 countries unite at this time for this very important cause.

In Christchurch the beginning of the campaign will be marked by the Zonta Club of Christchurch South holding a breakfast where Hon Amy Adams, Minister of Justice, will discuss how together we can turn the tide against family violence in NZ.

The breakfast will be held at 7am on Friday, 25 November, 2016 at The Elms Hotel, 456 Papanui Road, Christchurch.

The Zonta Club of Christchurch South will later in the day on 25 November 2016 attend the White Ribbon Day event in Cathedral Square from 5pm – 7pm where the Zonta Says No to Violence against Women campaign will support the White Ribbon campaign.

In addition, the façade of the Isaac Theatre Royal and the Christchurch Airport building and Control Tower will be lit up in orange, Zonta’s signature colour, from 25-27 November 2016. Zonta thanks the Isaac Theatre Royal and the Christchurch International Airport Limited for their public display of support for the Zonta Says No to Violence against Women campaign.

The Zonta Club of Christchurch South and the other 28 Zonta clubs throughout New Zealand will unite with members of the local community during the campaign period to make a stand against violence.

1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner and New Zealand has the worst record of any of the developed countries for domestic violence - twice the level of Australia!

· 4 billion dollars is the total cost of domestic violence to the country spent through government agencies

· 1.4 billion is the cost of police responding to complaints of domestic and sexual violence

· In New Zealand half of homicides result from domestic violence

· on average 29 women per year are killed in family violence incidents

· Incidents of domestic violence reported every 5 minutes

About the Zonta Club of Christchurch South

The Zonta Club of Christchurch South is a service organisation of executive women in business and the professions. Our mission is to advance the status of women worldwide through action and advocacy.

This year, our club will be part of a nationwide Orange Campaign 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 focus and hope that it makes our community aware of the terrible statistics that are still associated with the issue of gender based violence,” says Sue Clark, President of the Zonta Club of Christchurch South.

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.

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