Legal gaps and enduring harm: Analysing the persistence of child marriage in the United States A new report, Legal Gaps and Enduring Harm: Analysing the Persistence of Child Marriage in the United States, produced by Unchained At Last in partnership with Equality Now, exposes how state and federal loopholes continue to enable child marriage, and what must change to finally end it. The full report is eye-opening and worth the read: https://equalitynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Legal-gaps-and-enduring-harm-Analysing-the-persistence-of-child-marriage-in-the-United-States-English.pdf. While all of the states in Zonta District 1 have voted to ban child marriage, there is still advocacy work to do here on TWO fronts.  (1) Fighting for the ERA, which would solve this problem, and (2) Supporting girls transitioning out of this nightmare. The ERA and Child Marriage  The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is an amendment to the United States Constitution that guarantees equality under the law, regardless of sex or gender. Originally introduced in 1923 […]

In this AUGUST 2025 issue: Learn how you can participate in the Equal Rights Amendment – Disrupt Now Campaign; Equal Pay – Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders – August 28th; Learn about what States we hope to take the forefront in ending Child Marriage in 2026; Zonta Says No – ZI will have a Share Your Stories program on August 26th; Legislative actions you can take; Learn about Tennessee’s Safe Bar Program, then check to see if your community has one; Learn how Missouri Zontian’s are working to help the rights of pregnant women; And more! As a reminder, check out Zonta International’s Statement on remaining steadfast in its mission to build a better world for women and girls, commitment to the sustainable development goals, and remaining steadfast with our partnerships and commitment for our UN international service projects. There are 3 (2025) statements to share with your Districts, Clubs, and Members. https://www.zonta.org/Web/Web/News_Events/Zonta_International_Statements.aspx?hkey=34051c4c-679c-4251-8178-fe80033fad4d

As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, governments have adopted by consensus a powerful Political Declaration to respect, protect, and champion the rights, equality, and empowerment of women and girls. Here is the 8-page political declaration on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women

Zonta International remains steadfast in its mission to build a better world for women and girls For over 100 years Zonta International and its members have fought hard to advance the rights of women and girls around the world. Sadly, over the last several years, we have witnessed a systematic disturbing rollback of women’s rights globally. These efforts to undermine the rights of women and girls, coupled with now an alarming significant decrease in funding for development aid from the United States and several European countries, are both deeply troubling and regressive actions that threaten the fundamental hard-won progress achieved in advancing gender equality, human rights and sustainable development. Undermining women’s rights, cutting critical funding for programs that empower women and girls, and disregarding the needs of the most vulnerable populations, set back decades of work toward a fairer, more just world not only for women and girls but for […]

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence was initiated in 1991 by the Women’s Global Leadership Institute at Rutgers University.  Activists around the world recognize it as a time to raise awareness in their communities and to call for the elimination of all types of gender-based violence. The designated 16-day period begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25 and ends on Human Rights Day Dec. 10. In addition to Zonta, more than 6,000 organizations from 187 countries have participated in the campaign.  Here are highlights from District 1 Clubs! Zonta Club of Chelsea and North Shore Note from Governor Donna Raycraft:  “A perfect match for the goals of  16 Days. I love that they were packed in an orange reusable Zonta bag, too. The bags not only promote Zonta, but their reusability hits the mark on the second ZI goal of […]

The Zonta Says NOW Intercontinental Think Tank meets on the third Sunday of each month and members may register via the Zonta International Events page.  Recordings of Intercontinental Think Tank meetings and can be found here. The November Zonta International Think Tank shared the newly released Fact Sheet on Women’s Economic Opportunities in the Context of Climate Change. This 24 page document is colourful and easy to read. It is designed to be read online as it contains many hyperlinks. If you don’t understand the links between climate change and women’s economic opportunity, this is the document for you!I Click on the visual below to open the PDF – and please share with friends and colleagues to educate them on the issues as well.