Christmas is a time of gift giving. Please support our Zonta Club Mission with the gift of your time, presence and talents in coming year. On behalf of your Zonta Board, may all of you enjoy a Special Holiday Season. Hope to see you at our Christmas Party Sunday, 12/18/05. Thanks to Laura S. for generously opening her home for our party.

Dates to remember

• December 5 - ALL Nut Money due to Pat K.
• December 18 - 4pm - Christmas Party at Laura's House
• January 9 - Board Meeting at Montague's
• January 16 - Regular Meeting at Police Station

1. Studies from 48 countries report that between 10-69% of women have been physically assaulted by an intimate partner at some point in their lives.
2. Psychological violence often also occurs in cases of physical violence.
3. Studies from Japan, New Zealand and the United States show that physical violence is accompanied by sexual abuse in 1/3 to 1/2 of all violent relationships.
4. Studies conducted in Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the US found that 40-70% of female murder victims were killed by a current or past intimate partner.
5. Leaving a violent relationship can often be difficult for the victim. A study in Nicaragua found that the median time a woman spent in a violent relationship was six years. In Australia, Canada and the US, a significant percentage of partner homicides occur when a woman tries to leave the relationship.
6. Nearly one in four women will experience sexual violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives.
7. Available data from sub-Saharan Africa states that up to a third of adolescent girls in the region report their first sexual experience as being forced.
8. A study commissioned by the US Justice Department found that 14.8% of US women over the age of 17 reported being raped in their lifetime with an additional 2.8% having experienced attempted rape.
9. Studies conducted in several developing countries found that many women believe physical violence at the hands of their partner is justified in certain circumstances. In Egypt, over 80% of rural women said a husband had the right to beat his wife for offenses such as refusing him sex, neglecting her children or home, being disobedient or talking back to her husband.
10. There is a correlation between how a community responds to violence and overall levels of violence in that community. A comparative study of 16 societies found that the societies with the lowest levels of partner violence provided support services to abused women and enforced sanctions against abusers.

• November 25 International Day Against Violence Against Women was declared in July 1981 in Bogota, Colombia to commemorate the violent assassination of the Mirabal sisters.
• December 1 World AIDS Day marks the beginning of an annual campaign to encourage public support for and development of programs to prevent the spread of infection and promote awareness of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
• December 10 International Human Rights Day marks the celebration of the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

	Status of Women Status of Women - Around the World News from November 2005 Courtesy of Leee O., Status of Women Committee Don't miss this in-depth resource regarding current information about women around the world! Index of Status of Women Links

Zonta Founders	Holiday Party December 18th 4pm Please bring coats, mittens and scarves for the seniors of our African Refugee Group.

Ways for Pikes Peak Area Zonta members to help refugees in Colorado Springs Contact Vanda Franowicz at 719-314-0223 or Vanda.franowicz@lfsco.org Shopping Food stamps are only for food. Women and their families need paper goods such as diapers, toilet paper, tissues, etc. All kinds of cleaning products are in great need. PLEASE BRING THESE ITEMS TO OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS. 1 on 1 Women and children need help practicing English and/or doing homework. Some need to go shopping. If you have 2 hours to give once a week, please call Vanda to be matched up Small Group Beginning Wednesdays, Oct. 5, senior aged refugees will be attending ESL classes at Ruth Holly Library from 10-noon. If you can meet with 1 or 2 of them from noon to 2 pm, they can use your help reviewing the lessons. Sort Donated Items One person to work with a member of their staff is needed to help sort out clothes and other donations at their storage area at Platte and Wooten, east of Academy. Time to be determined. Information Do you know of an organization that does winter coat drives? Lutheran Family Services hopes to be connected to gather coats for their clients. Networking If you belong to a religious or work organization that would be interested in assisting with the resettlement of new refugees, Vanda would be glad to come speak to their program and hopes to find 6-10 volunteers. Contact Vanda Franowicz at 719-314-0223 or Vanda.franowicz@lfsco.org

	Featured Links of the Month! "Solstice rituals actively embody the message that even though the night seems never-ending, the light does return and goodness and life can triumph in the end over evil and death." -- Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, artistic director San Francisco Bay Revels Winter Solstice Ancient Origins Yule
Click here for links from past newsletters!

Dates to Remember . . .

December 5	Nut money due to Pat K. or Helen S.
December 18 - 4:00pm	Holiday Party at Laura S.'s home
January 9 - 5:30pm	Board Meeting Montague's
2006	First Annual Glass Slipper Ball!
June 24-29, 2006	ZI Convention, Melbourne, Australia

All General Meetings, unless otherwise notified, are at:
Gold Hills Substation
705 S. Nevada
5:30 pm for social and food
6-6:45pm-Speaker
6:45-7:45-Meeting

Refreshment Schedule for Upcoming Meetings MONTH FOOD DRINK December Holiday Pot Luck Laura S.'s Home January Rita J. & Kathy F. Sharon R. February Pat K. & Betty H. Phyllis Z. March Pat R. & Laura S. open April Betty E. & Liz G.-C. open May Installation Dinner Thank you ladies!

Please send comments and suggested information for the newsletter to nulty@csdco.com.

Pikes Peak Area Club Information www.zontadistrict12.org/pikespeak.html District 12 Information www.zontadistrict12.org Zonta International www.zonta.org

© 2005 Zonta International