Zonta Club of Whanganui supporting international 'Zonta says NO' campaign to end violence against women and girls

Zonta Club of Whanganui president Anne Devonshire (right) and status of women subcommittee chair Gillian White prepare for 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui needs to wake up to the issue of gender-based violence, the Zonta Club of Whanganui says ahead of an international call to action to end violence against women and girls.

The international "Zonta says NO" campaign begins on November 25, with 16 days of activism worldwide to draw attention to gender-based violence.

Gillian White, chair of the Zonta Club of Whanganui's subcommittee for the status of women, said women and men needed to work together to solve the issue.

"Whanganui Zontians are convinced that with conviction, commitment and courage we together, women and men, can do it, starting in our own backyard," White said.

"In January 2018 it was reported that Whanganui police attended 230 family harm related incidents over the December-January holiday period, up to 10 a day in the first three days of the new year. Violence trends increase with drinking, heat, stress, tension and strains of the season.

"Violence has a ripple effect and, left unaddressed, normalises aggressive attitudes and behaviours toward the vulnerable for generations. Slowly New Zealand is changing historical gender-based attitudes. Whanganui needs to wake up."

The club had several activities planned to highlight the anti-violence campaign.

Club members will join in the White Ribbon street march in Whanganui on Friday, November 23, and will promote the Zonta campaign in an area near the Whanganui River Markets on Saturday, December 1.

"We will be talking about the campaign from an international, national and local perspective," White said.

"We will be giving out information, including bookmarks with numbers to call for anyone who needs help locally. We are also putting up stories and statistics on our Facebook page."

The campaign is not limited to ending domestic violence. It also focuses on ending female genital mutilation and child marriages.

"There is a tendency to think these things are happening a long way from New Zealand but we are affected by human trafficking," White said.

"There are people in New Zealand who believe in female circumcision and women who have had it done.

"New Zealand has the highest domestic violence rate in the developed world. We are moving from a traditionally gender-organised society but we still have a bit of a way to go in terms of gender equality and pay."

Zonta New Zealand has this week commended the passing of the Family Violence Act and related Family Violence (Amendments) Act. Zonta made a submission in favour of the legislation.

"This new legislation, coupled with the recent enactment of the victims' protection legislation, marks significant progress in the reform of anti-violence laws in New Zealand," Souella Cumming, Governor of Zonta New Zealand, said.

New measures to make protection orders more accessible, make better use of Police Safety Orders and more accurately record family violence offending through the criminal justice system were key changes recognised by Zonta.

Zonta International is a global organisation of professionals working to advance the status of women through service and advocacy.