The Zonta Club of Miami Lakes kicked off 16 days of awareness activities in its Zonta Says No campaign with a press conference on November 25 on the steps of Miami Lakes Town Hall. A proclamation was issued by Mayor Wayne Slaton declaring the day as “Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women Day” in Miami Lakes.
Slaton encouraged residents to support the club’s efforts to raise awareness, stimulate discussion and advocate for local solutions that can help curb violence against women.
Zonta Club president Helen Brown gave a speech and said that in Miami-Dade County, there were nearly 10,000 victims of domestic violence, an increase from 2012 according to a 2013 Uniform Crime Report.
In addition to providing information regarding violence against women in Miami, the Zonta Club of Miami Lakes displayed an array of empty shoes at the press conference. Each empty pair of shoes represented victims of domestic violence from the local community in the past year.
“Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women” and “16 Days of Activism” is an international movement of Zonta International and focuses on bringing awareness to gender violence. The campaign corresponds with the United Nations’ “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.”
During the “16 days of Activism,” from November 25 to December 10, the Miami Lakes Zonta Club will join nearly 1,200 Zonta clubs in 67 countries for the No to Violence Against Women campaign.
During this time, the club will hold several events in the town including an informational display at the Miami Lakes Branch Library and a Zonta Says No Walk.