Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Milan, March 9 2021 – "We started from the 'Pact of municipalities against violence and for gender equality', born on the initiative of Milan and developed thanks to the comparison with all the Italian metropolitan cities, to arrive at a network of Milan women's centers serving the neighborhoods , with a location for each municipality. All this through events and initiatives, including in schools, which have the aim of promoting a true culture of gender equality for an equal and supportive society. And for March 8th we have the first gender budget of the Municipality of Milan has been launched".

This is how Daria Colombo, the mayor's delegate for gender equality, opened the proceedings of the streaming conference 'Milan for women' organized on the occasion of International Women's Day. A moment of discussion on what has been done and how much still needs to be done, in Milan, in Italy and in Europe.

The first Milan women's center opened in May 2018 in Gallaratese, in via degli Appennini, followed, at the end of November of the same year, by the space in viale Faenza, in Barona. In November 2019, the Municipio 2 center was inaugurated, located in via Sant'Uguzzone, and in July 2020 the one in via Narni, in the heart of the Crescenzago-Rizzoli district. Last February the space in Via Savoia, in Municipality 5, opened, while two other centers are being assigned and the renovation work has just started on the last one.

In recent years, over 660 women have turned to the facilities. Citizens who have found support at the anti-violence and counseling offices (80 women followed with courses already completed or in progress), who have used job orientation services, Italian courses for foreigners, financial and IT education (over 150), or who have chosen groups to enrich their free time with theater courses, writing courses, knitting courses, film clubs etc.

"Our ultimate attention on this issue, also thanks to the opening of the Milan women's centres, has focused on prevention - declares the councilor for social and housing policies Gabriele Rabaiotti - understood as the construction of a social context, within the communities, which is attentive to give expression to 'female' voices and to strengthen relationships and cohesion to counter processes of isolation and abandonment. This often constitutes a condition that risks precipitating episodes of mistreatment and violence".

In 2020, the Anti-Violence Network followed and accompanied around 2.089 women (in 2016 there were 1.671). Around 5 thousand contacts and more than 20 thousand people (men and women) intercepted by the awareness, information and training activities organized by the centres.

There are 9 anti-violence centers (increased by two units over the last five years) plus a health center at ATTS Santi Carlo e Paolo (Listening Center and Women's Rescue Centre). And thanks to the nine shelter homes and affiliated entities in recent years, Milan can count on approximately 40 beds available to mother/child units and single women located in communities, apartments and protected collective spaces.

All information on the site https://www.reteantiviolenzamilano.it.