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Building on the theme of the Commission on the Status of Women “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”, “Zonta Says NO” is an annual campaign to raise awareness of Zonta’s efforts to end violence against women and girls here in the Yakima Valley and around the world.

2023 Zonta Says No Campaign

Day 1 - 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

November 25th - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Today marks the first day of 16 Days of Activism - Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women! 25 November-10 December.

November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and December 10th is Human Rights Day.

International days are occasions to educate the general public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity

Zontians from the Zonta Club of Yakima Valley stand with the many Zonta Clubs around the world to SAY No to all forms of Violence Against Women!

Learn more about the International Day for the elimination of Violence Against Women

Day 2 - 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

November 26th - Elder Abuse is a form of Violence Against Women

Elderly women are more likely to suffer from abuse than men, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA). At least 1 out of 10 adults over the age of 65 suffers from at least one type of abuse each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

What are the signs of elder abuse?

While many of these symptoms may be the result of disease conditions or medications, their appearance should prompt further investigation to determine and remedy the cause. Cues that cannot be explained medically may signal elder abuse.

• Unexplained bruises, burns, cuts, or scars
• Lack of basic hygiene, adequate food and water, or clean and appropriateclothing
• Lack of medical aids (glasses, walker, teeth, hearing aid, medications)
• Sunken eyes or unexplained weight loss
• Untreated bedsores
• Dismissive attitude or statements about injuries
• Unreasonably fearful or suspicious
• Lack of interest in social contacts
• Unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior
• Unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding
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• Venereal diseases or vaginal infections
• Signs of insufficient care or unpaid bills despite adequate financial resources
• Large withdrawals from bank accounts or other unusual ATM activity

Learn more about elder abuse and how to report it on the American Psychological Association website.

Day 3 - 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

November 27th - Books to learn more about Gender Based Violence

Consider reading these books cultivated from domesticshelters.org dealing with the subject of gender-based violence:

• Crazy Love by: Leslie Morgan Steiner

• Girl Up: Kick Ass, Claim Your Woman Card, and Crush Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

• Written on the Body edited by Lexie Bean

• No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder

• How to Be Nice to Yourself: The Everyday Guide to Self Compassion by Laura Silberstein-Tirch PsyD

Day 4 - 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

November 28th - You can help Stop Rape Culture

def. a society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse.

Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-shaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by sexual violence, or some combination of these.

Find 16 ways to do your part to Stop Rape Culture on the UN Women website - https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2019/11/compilation-ways-you-can-stand-against-rape-culture

Learn more - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs7OG-NssLE

Day 5 - 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

November 29th - Online or technology-facilitated violence

Technology-facilitated violence against women is any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms. It can occur in online spaces, and it can be perpetrated offline through the use of technological means, such as controlling a woman’s whereabouts by using a GPS tracker. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence exacerbates existing forms and patterns of violence against women, such as intimate-partner violence, and also comes with new forms of violence such as online stalking and image-based abuse through artificial intelligence like deepfake videos.

While all women and girls who are online or who use digital tools may face violence online, some groups are at greater risk. These include women who are most visible online, including women in public life, journalists, human rights defenders, politicians and feminist activists.

Online violence can include the following:

• Cyberbullying: involves sending intimidating or threatening messages.

• Non-consensual sexting: sending explicit messages or photos without the recipient’s consent.

• Doxing: public release of private or identifying information about the victim.

Source: https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/faqs-types-of-violence-against-women-and-girls – types of violence

Hear some blunt talk about “How Online Abuse of women has spiraled out of control” in this TED Talk by Ashley Judd.

Day 6 - 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

What is Intimate Partner Violence)?

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. “Intimate partner” refers to both current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV can vary in how often it happens and how severe it is. It can range from one episode of violence that could have lasting impact to chronic and severe episodes over multiple years.

Consider these facts!

• About 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men report having experienced several physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime
• About 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men have experienced contact sexual violence by an intimate partnering
• 14% of women and 5% of men report having been staled by an intimate partner
  

IPV can include any of the following types of behavior:

• Physical violence is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using another type of physical force.

• Sexual violence is forcing or attempting to force a partner to take part in a sex act, sexual touching, or a non-physical sexual event (e.g., sexting) when the partner does not or cannot consent.

• Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a partner that causes fear or concern for one’s own safety or the safety of someone close to the victim.

• Psychological aggression is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and/or to exert control over a partner.

IPV is connected to other forms of violence and is related to serious health issues and economic consequences.

Source: CDC

Day 7 – 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

Violence on Campus – December 1, 2023

One explanation for the prevalence of sexual assault on campuses focuses on the fact that many young adults use alcohol or drugs for the first time during college. This can make them unaware of what is happening around them and to them.

Only one in five college-age women who are sexually assaulted report the attack to the police.

The most dangerous period is the "Red Zone - the period of time between the first day students arrive on campus through Thanksgiving break. Research has revealed this is when 50% of sexual assaults on campuses occur. College freshmen or incoming transfer students are particularly vulnerable to assault, given their naïveté when it comes to partying.

While opinions differ on "The Red Zone" and whether it's best to emphasize its importance – other research has questioned the importance of this time frame – experts agree more needs to be done to educate all those on college campuses about sexual assault and consent.

Of the students who reported experiencing some form of sexual misconduct, in happened in the form of:

- sexual touching- 28.4%

- attempted sexual penetration 14.7%

- sexual penetration 10%

- sexual harassment 33.8%

What can be done to prevent gender based assault on campuses?

Campus authorities can create an environment where young women are safe through programs and initiatives. Due to prevalence of sexual assault on campuses, those authorities are responsible for doing more to prevent sexual violence on campus.

Read more in this CDC report - Sexual Violence on Campus: Strategies for Prevention

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Day 9 – 16 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

Educate and Protect Teens from Image-Based Sexual Abuse – “Revenge Porn”- December 3rd

Image-based sexual abuse (commonly known as ‘revenge porn’) describes the act of sharing images or videos of an individual (the ‘victim’) that are sexually explicit (displaying nudity or showing the person engaged in a sexual act) without that person’s consent. The images or videos may be shared on specialized ‘revenge porn’ websites, on social media, via email, text, or messaging services, or shared with specific individuals, such as the victim’s family or employers. The images may also be shared offline. Sharing images or videos that have been photoshopped or otherwise altered in any way may also be considered image-based sexual abuse.

Consent is required at two stages: when the image or video is taken and again when it is shared with any third party. In some cases, the first level of consent is missing, and the images are not obtained with consent: for instance, the victim may have been unaware the image was taken, coerced into sharing the image, or the perpetrator may have stolen or hacked the image. In other cases, an image that was shared freely in the context of an intimate relationship is then shared with others without the victim’s consent.

Tips for Teens - from The Pixel Project - 16 ideas to prevent and intervene in online violence against women among their peers

See also https://vimeo.com/154299804

Day 10 - 6 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

Stop Street Harassment – December 4th

Catcalls, sexually explicit comments, sexist remarks, homophobic slurs, groping, leering, stalking, flashing, and assault. Most women and some men will face gender-based street harassment by strangers in their life. Street harassment limits people's mobility and access to public spaces. It is a form of gender violence and it's a human rights violation.

It needs to stop.

Dealing with Harassers:

There is no one “right” way to deal with harassers. Every situation and person is different and often you only have a second or two to assess your safety and decide what to do.

Here are seven ideas for strategies you can consider and choose from when you are faced with harassment.

1. Respond: If you feel safe enough to do so, assertively respond to the harassers calmly, firmly, and without insults or personal attacks to let them know that their actions are unwelcome, unacceptable, and wrong.

2. Hand the Harasser a Card: If speaking feels too scary, you can also hand the harasser information about harassment. Find printable cards at Cards Against Harassment - cardsagainstharassment.com

3. Step In: Intervene when someone else is being harassed to help them out of the situation and let the harasser know that their actions are not condoned by others. Ask them if they want help and what they’d like you to do or simply check in to see if they’re okay. Men engaging in this tactic can be particularly powerful since men (majority of street harassers) look to other men for approval.

4. Report to Employer: If the harassers work for an identifiable company, call or write the company to let them know that their employees are harassing people on the job and why that is unacceptable. Even threatening to report harassers to their company can make a difference.

5. Report to Police or Transit Workers: Take actions that will create real consequences for the harasser, such as reporting the person to a police officer or other person of authority, like a bus driver or subway employee. In Washington State, see these laws that govern harassment both on the street and elsewhere. https://stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/SSH-KYR-Washington.pdf

6. Report with your Phone: Take pictures or video of the harassers to share with police or their employer.

See what happened to a young woman as she walked along New York streets for 10 hours:

and how she responded:

Day 11 - 6 Days of Activism to Stop Gender Based Violence

Child marriage puts girls at risk of violence throughout their lives

Child marriage exposes girls to intimate partner violence, including sexual, physical, psychological and emotional violence.

- Girls who marry before the age of 15 are almost 50% more likely to experience physical or sexual violence than girls married after 18.

- 44% of girls 15-19 think a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife or partner.

Zonta is working to raise the awareness of the Devastating Consequences of Early Marriage for Girls around the world:

• Early End to Education

• Lower Wages, Poverty

• Increased Risk of Domestic Violence

• Higher Divorce Rates

• Higher risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases

• Early, frequent and higher risk pregnancies

Zonta’s goal is to pass legislation in every US state which bans marriage for girls under 18 years old. See the Facts on Child Marriage in the US -

Hear the story of a woman in Missouri that married at 15.

Resources

Washington State Domestic Violence Statistics

View the Annual Domestic Violence Counts for Washington State

Advocacy Makes a Difference - Write to your Elected Representatives

Our Facebook campaign to get people to write to their legislators about VAWA helped bring sabout not only a good results (reauthorization), but also the chance to hear direct from the represenatives about the issues - see a letter from Maria Cantwell sent to one of our campaigners!

Survivor Tells the Story of her Years of Domestic Violence

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorized in 2022

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (S.2920) has been introduced into the Senate

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), enacted in 1994, recognizes the insidious and pervasive nature of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and supports comprehensive, effective and cost saving responses to these crimes. VAWA programs, administered by the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, give law enforcement, prosecutors and judges the tools they need to hold offenders accountable.

Whenever the Act comes up for renewal, Zonta ‘s Campaign to say “No” to violence against women supports the reauthorization of VAWA !. See the press release from the White House on the 2022 re-authorization of VAWA.

Learn more:
Ten Things we would lose if Congress doesn't come up with a Real VAWA!
YWCA position on the VAWA reauthorization
National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women
Provisions in VAWA for Immigrant Victims of Violence Against Women in the United States

Encourage your congressmen/women to vote for the reauthorization of VAWA whenever it comes up for renewal and to include its Provisions related to Immigrant Survivors of Violence Against Women in the United States!

Senator Maria Cantwell - email Senator Cantwell
Senator Patty Murray - email Senator Murray
Representative Dan Newhouse - email Representative Dan Newhouse

Zonta Club of Yakima's Local Projects

Many of the local service grants that we award each year help women who have experienced domestic violence. See the full list of funded projects on our Service Projects page.

Zonta International's Projects Overseas

Did you know that Zonta has Zonta has contributed more than US$32.7 million to our International Service and Zonta International Strategies to End Violence Against Women projects?

Zonta International is supporting three projects through the Zonta International Strategies to End Violence against Women (ZISVAW) Fund during the current Biennium.

• Adolescent Girls' Health and Protection in Peru
• Strengthening Response to Gender Based Violence Survivors in Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste
• Ending Child Marriage

Resources

Learn more about agencies that are leading the fight to end violence against women:

Zonta Says No - information on Zonta's efforts to combat Violence Against Women across the world.
National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence - providing a voice for the issue of ending domestic violence in Washington
Yakima YWCA - our local domestic violence shelter leads the fight against domestic violence in the Yakima Valley

Why Victims Don't Just Leave - Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence