Press Release
Zonta Bahamas has launched its 2025 Orange the World Campaign – a movement that is powered by the 16 days of Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls. November 25 is officially recognised as the International Day to End Violence Against Women and Girls. This United Nations-led observance aims to raise public awareness, prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls, and promote advocacy and discussion on the challenges and solutions to this global crisis. The 16 Days of Activism wraps up on December 10, which is International Human Rights Day.
Zonta International has been participating in the Orange the World campaign since 1991, advocating globally from inner city communities, to schools, governments and the global stage pushing for the rights of women and girls. locally, members of Zonta Clubs of New Providence and Nassau have injected their passion into this campaign, and have painted the town orange year after year with beautiful bows along roadsides while handing out information on gender-based violence to the public.
UN Women Multi-Country Office -Caribbean revealed statistics that mirror unfortunate global trends. Every one in three women are experiencing violence in their lifetime. The UN has found that violence against women starts early and persists across the life course. Around 16 percent of adolescent girls age 16 to 19 have experienced intimate partner violence in the past 12 months alone, and between 4 and 5 percent of women over the age of 60 also have faced it as well. Yet, these age groups often remain invisible in data and policy responses.
During Zonta’s official press conference to launch the campaign, Mrs. Ann Marie Davis, Office of the Spouse, reaffirmed her commitment to the organization’s mission to make The Bahamas and the world safer for women and girls. She has been supporting Zonta in this campaign for the past 15 years.
In her remarks, Mrs. reflected on the emotional toll of recent violent incidents, including the tragic killing of a pregnant mother, and asked the pointed question that underscored the entire launch: “When will it stop?” Her call emphasized both the urgency of protecting survivors and the need to teach conflict resolution and emotional regulation – especially among young persons – so that violence can be prevented before it takes root.
This year’s international theme, “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” brings needed visibility to a rapidly expanding arena of gender-based abuse: the online world. Digital violence is now one of the fastest-growing forms of harm. It includes online harassment, cyberstalking, impersonation, doxxing, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, digital blackmail, real-time tracking, hate speech, and coordinated attacks across social media. International research shows that female journalists, public figures and young women experience these threats disproportionately, with some surveys reporting that more than 70 percent have faced some form of online abuse. As the digital world becomes increasingly connected to daily life, Zonta Bahamas stressed the importance of ensuring that Bahamian families understand the risks and have the tools to respond.
This year’s 16 Days campaign moves through a series of engagements designed to meet the public where they are. The calendar includes a public webinar on digital violence moderated by Dr Denotrah Archer-Cartwright, with insights from Detective 4754 Tiffany Fernander of the RBPF Cyber Crime Unit, Dr Sean Knowles, and Dr Paul A Scavella, offering practical strategies to protect women, girls, and families online. On Thursday, November 27 from 5 to 7pm, at the Harry C Moore Library at the University of The Bahamas, faculty leaders including UB President Dr Robert Blaine, Dr Nicechia Hall-Dennis, Dr Victoria Kelly, Eileen Sands, Philippa Dean, and Alicia Wallace will engage in a panel discussion examining how digital violence intersects with academic life, professional spaces, and broader social norms. A virtual session of the panel will be held the following day, Friday, November 28, on ZOOM.
To further spread the message of ending violence against women, on Saturday, November 29 at noon, Zonta will be at CIBC Caribbean in the Harbour Bay Shopping Plaza for their raffle drawing and orange bows campaign. To wrap up this year’s cycle, on Friday, December 12 at 10am, Zonta will host a specialized forum, “Protecting the Vulnerable,” in partnership with the National Disabilities Commission, highlighting the specific risks faced by persons with disabilities. This event will be held at the Department of Physical Planning Hearing Room on JFK Drive. Throughout November, the organization will also continue its long-running healthy-relationship seminars across schools and colleges in New Providence and the Family Islands, helping students recognize unhealthy behaviors early and understand what respectful relationships look like.
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