White Ribbon

I would like to draw to the attention of readers why there is a ‘‘watchful eye’’ sign declaring that Zonta says no to violence against women on the Church St overhead bridge over State Highway 1 in Timaru.

Thursday, November 25, was International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW). In New Zealand the day is also celebrated as White Ribbon Day.

The White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women and girls and was started in Canada in November 1991 by a group of men after the brutal massacre of 14 female students at a Canadian university in 1989.

In 2012, to support WRC and IDEVAW, Zonta International launched the catch phrase ‘‘Zonta says no’’ as above and has committed to supporting both the United Nations and WRC initiatives with 16 days of activism from November 25 each year to advocate for the end of gender-based violence in all its forms.

With prolific Black Friday retail advertising many readers may have missed the excellent article on page 5 (The Timaru Herald, November 25) on the new ‘‘Stand Up’’ poster/sign that is launched this year locally by Te Rito South Canterbury to mark WRC. Zonta Timaru is a stakeholder in the Te Rito collaboration of support agencies and organisations.

Locally the Zonta Club of Timaru has invested in the overhead bridge signs as a reminder to all passing underneath about the campaign and its relevance to building a stronger supportive community.

Our signs will remain in place for the majority of the 16 days of activism as a reminder of the important messages of November 25 and that we can all have a part to play to reduce gender harm. Janya Lobb Director Advocacy committee 2021 Zonta Club of Timaru