About 40 Women and Female High School Students age 16 to 81 dressed in orange Zonta sweatshirts from Frankfort, Lebanon and Indianapolis walked Saturday morning October 13th for about half hour at the Lebanon Memorial Park to “Say No” to Violence against Women.
Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen gave a talk before the walk and outlined some national statistics on the topic of Violence against Women.
1 in 4 victims of severe physical violence are at the hands of an intimate partner such as a spouse or boyfriend.
1 in 7 victims are stalked by an intimate partner
20,000 phone calls are made PER DAY to domestic violence hotlines nation-wide.
According to Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen “the increase in violence is due to drug issues and alcohol issues which affect everyone in the home”. Nielsen also stated “Only because of increased awareness and people taking action can we decrease the trend of violence. That’s why organizations like Zonta are so important.“
Frankfort Zonta Co-Presidents are Jeni Royalty and Nancy Harshbarger. Look for more orange to light up Frankfort between November 25th and December 10 for “16 Days Of Activism “ as Zonta International says NO to Violence against Women. The visibility is designed to raise awareness of and increase actions to end violence against women and girls around the world.
Some Orange Christmas lights at TPA park and Orange exterior lighting at the Frankfort Library on Columbia and Clinton Street will splash orange lighting to give exposure and awareness toward the topic of violence against women and girls.