The Zonta Club of Hunter Newcastle recently joined many other local organisations in making an important stand.

Thursday 25 November marked the start of 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women.

And, on Friday and Saturday, the members showcased a display at the Lake Macquarie Shopping Square to raise awareness of the disturbing issue.

The exhibit included decorated masks representing victims and anonymous quotes from women who have had to flee from violent situations.

It certainly attracted plenty of attention at Mount Hutton, with numerous shoppers stopping to ask questions, seek brochures and speak with Zonta Club of Hunter Newcastle members.

Reaching its 30-year milestone, the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women global campaign is an annual call to eliminate gendered violence across the world.

Some alarming Australian statistics, as cited by Our Watch, include:

• Women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner;
• Young women (18–24 years) experience significantly higher rates of physical and sexual violence than women in older age groups; and
• On average, one woman a week is killed by her current or former partner.

Zonta Club of Hunter Newcastle advocacy chairperson Jill Maclachlan said they were proud to be involved.

“Zonta International has been dedicated, for more than 25 years, to supporting women and girls who have been subjected to physical and non-physical forms of violence,” she explained.

“The efforts of club members to highlight the problem were commendable and conversations with the public touched their hearts.

“Handouts with emergency numbers and club information were distributed, too.

“Last year with considerable council backing, we placed stickers [containing emergency numbers] on the back of public toilet facilities in the Lake Macquarie area.”

The University of Newcastle’s NUspace building and Civic Park also lit up in orange to support the cause.

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