Zonta SSM 2025 – The Superior View

Zonta Club of Sault Ste Marie Area is one of over 1,300 clubs of Zonta International, a worldwide service organization.  Founded in 1919 in Buffalo, New York, Zonta takes its name from the Lakota Sioux Indian word meaning “honest and trustworthy.”  Zontians volunteer their time, talents and energy to local and international service projects that are designed to advance the status of women.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive human rights violations and a
global threat. It knows no national or cultural barriers; it takes place at home, in the workplace
and in open spaces, and affects millions of women and girls in peacetime and conflict. It includes
psychological, physical and sexual violence, and harmful practices such as rape, female genital
cutting, child marriage and human trafficking.
Violence against women and girls threatens countries, inhibits economic progress, and prevents
women from contributing to their community and creating better lives for themselves and
their families.
Zonta International’s ongoing service efforts are demonstrated through numerous local
projects and programs and through partnerships with the United Nations and its agencies.
Our ongoing advocacy efforts are built around the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women
campaign. Launched in 2012, the campaign has raised awareness of the global pandemic of
women’s rights violations and has united Zonta clubs worldwide in conducting impactful
advocacy actions to fight violence against women and gender inequality.
During the 16 Days of Activism, 25 November–10 December, all Zonta clubs and districts
are encouraged to take part in the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign and
to take local, national and international actions to influence the making and implementation
of laws, as well as changing gender-based attitudes and behaviors to end violence against
women and girls.

Visit: zontasaysno.com/zontasvision/campaign

Visit: zonta15.org/find-a-club-near-you/sault-ste-marie

10 THINGS MEN CAN DO TO PREVENT GENDER VIOLENCE

1. Approach gender violence as a MEN’S issue
   involving men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and
   ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or
   possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can
   confront abusive peers.
2. If a brother, friend, classmate, or teammate is
   abusing his female partner — or is disrespectful or abusive
   to girls and women in general — don’t look the other way. If
   you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it.
   Urge him to seek help. Or if you don’t know what to do,
   consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor.
   DON’T REMAIN SILENT.
3. Have the courage to look inward. Question your own
   attitudes. Don’t be defensive when something you do or say
   ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how
   your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently
   perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing
   them.
4. If you suspect that a woman close to you is being
   abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can
   help.
5. If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically,
   or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past,
   seek professional help NOW.
6. Be an ally to women who are working to end all
   forms of gender violence. Support the work of campus-
   based women’s centers. Attend “Take Back the Night”
   rallies and other public events. Raise money for
   community-based rape crisis centers and battered women’s
   shelters. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another
   student group, organize a fundraiser.
7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and
   gay-bashing. Discrimination and violence against LGBTQ
   people are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has
   direct links to sexism (e.g. the sexual orientation of men
   who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a
   conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them.
   This is a key reason few men do so).
8. Attend programs, take courses, watch films, and read
   articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender
   inequality, and the root causes of gender violence. Educate
   yourself and others about how larger social forces affect
   the conflicts between individual men and women.
9. Don’t fund sexism. Refuse to purchase any magazine,
   rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music
   that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or
   abusive manner. Speak out about cyber-sexism and
   misogynist attacks against women on social media sites
   such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Protest sexism in
   new and old media.
10. Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in
    ways that don’t involve degrading or abusing girls and
    women (or men). Volunteer to work with gender violence
    prevention programs, including anti-sexist men’s programs.
    Lead by example.

This poster was produced by MVP Strategies, a gender violence prevention education and training organization.
Visit: www.mvpstrategies.net

Lisa & Jane & Tiana