Zonta fights gender violence

To the editor: The Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau Area invites friends of Zonta to join in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign 2006 observed Nov. 25 through Dec. 10.

This year's campaign emphasizes the connections between violence against women and women's health and the detrimental consequences violence against women has on the well-being of the world as a whole.

There is growing recognition that women and girls' risk of and vulnerability to HIV infection is shaped by deep-rooted and pervasive gender inequalities, in particular violence against them.

According to the United Nations: Worldwide, a quarter of all women are raped during their lifetime. Depending on the country, 25 to 75 percent of women are regularly beaten at home.

More than 120 million women have undergone female genital mutilation. In 2004, there were more than 17 million women living with HIV/AIDS.

Violence against women happens all over the world, including the Cape Girardeau area. The most recent data from the Missouri Uniform Crime Reporting Database indicates that law enforcement agencies from Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Scott counties reported 865 domestic violence cases during 2004.

A national survey found that one of every six American women has experienced an attempted or completed rape.

As citizens embracing and striving toward equality, development and peace, the Zonta club declares itself opposed to all forms of gender-based violence. Support us in promoting and protecting the right of the Cape Girardeau area's women to live free of violence.

MARIA CHILDRESS, President, Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau Area