Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Tomorrow a minute of silence and the setting up of bibliopoints in the registry offices. In the first half of this year, 1.629 women turned to the anti-violence network

Milan, November 22 2023 – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Municipality of Milan is organizing a series of awareness-raising initiatives.

Tomorrow, Thursday 23 November, from 9am to 13pm, in eight registered offices (via Larga 12, via Padova 118, piazzale Accursio 5, via Oglio 18, via Baldinucci 76, viale Tibaldi 41, via San Paolino 18, via Quarenghi 21) the "Library in the registry offices" initiative was carried out, with the involvement of the library system and the network of anti-violence centres.

In the bibliopoints set up in the registry offices, a selection of books dedicated to raising the awareness of adults and children on the topic of women's rights and gender violence will be offered.

In the headquarters in via Larga, where the operators of the municipal anti-violence network will also be present, at 11 am, the councilors Gaia Romani (Civic Services), Lamberto Bertolé (Welfare and Health) and Tommaso Sacchi (Culture), the Mayor's delegate to Equal opportunities Elena Lattuada and the president of the Council Commission for Equal Opportunities and Civil Rights Diana De Marchi will introduce a minute of silence, which will be observed at the same time in all municipal offices, in memory of the victims of violence and will subsequently read passages on the topic.   

Then on Friday 24th, the Milan Women's Centers (CMD) will distribute information material near a red bench in the nine municipalities. Councilors Romani and Bertolé will be present at 10 am at the stand located near the red bench in front of the registry office in via Sansovino, to talk about the work carried out daily in the area by these offices, which carry out activities to prevent gender violence and they organize cultural promotion and training courses aimed at women of all ages.   

Below are the places and times where the information stands will be located:   

• via Filzi from 9 to 30;
• via Sansovino 9 from 9 to 12;
• via Oglio 18 from 11am to 12pm;
• via Montegani/corner of via Barrili from 16pm to 30pm;
• viale Legioni Romane 64 from 10am to 30pm;
• via Fleming 15 from 11am to 15pm;
• via Quarenghi from 10 to 12;
• via Ciaia from 10 to 12.   

"It is now clear that we cannot speak of an emergency – declares the councilor for civic services Gaia Romani – because feminicides unfortunately mark our daily lives. Two days after the discovery of Giulia Cecchettin, another woman, Rita Talamelli, was strangled by her husband, becoming 106^a victim this year. Murders which, most of the time, take place in a domestic context and at the hands of a father, brother, partner or ex. We will never eliminate gender violence if we do not erase the patriarchal culture deeply rooted in our society. Ours is a cultural battle, which must be waged every day and in all the years of growth with education in affectivity, with the courage to counter existing gender imbalances. And the choice to be here, in the registry office, is not a coincidence: we want the Administration and all the institutions to take on this commitment, entering the daily life of each person and becoming promoters of a culture capable of counteracting those cultural paradigms, from which violent episodes arise, and to convey a feminist culture".  

"As recent news events demonstrate - declares the councilor for Welfare and Health Lamberto Bertolé - men's violence against women is still an overwhelming protagonist of our daily lives. Countering it means not only prosecuting the attackers and putting in place support tools to those who suffer it, but also to build and spread a culture of respect that, especially the youngest, can breathe and internalize from an early age. The institutions must do this together, but also schools and families, in a coordinated effort that will always see us in the front row. So that girls like Giulia Cecchettin and Giulia Tramontano can live peacefully without having to worry that a man - be it their partner, a family member, a friend or a stranger - may consider it permissible or in some way justifiable to limit them in their freedom or harm them. The anti-violence network that we have built together with many city entities is committed not only to offering welcome and orientation, but also to promoting this awareness".

"There are still too many "it doesn't happen to me anyway", "I can't leave him just for a slap", and similar phrases, said to friends by girls who then never returned home – declared the councilor for culture Tommaso Sacchi - We need to educate in the recognition of the warning signs of oppressive and liberticidal behaviour, even before physical violence. We need to educate in a different construction of male identity, which must not and cannot fall apart due to a loss. It is a what awaits us is a long journey, because it takes place at very deep and deep-rooted psychological and cultural levels, and will necessarily have to involve institutions, schools and families in a joint effort. The cultural presence of our civic libraries is one of the many cultural tools active in the city : until November 25th, the libraries are organizing exhibitions, meetings, readings and workshops to reflect on gender violence and contribute to the formation of a culture that recognizes and guarantees equal rights and true equality".

The support of the Municipality of Milan to women who suffer violence is manifested, thanks to the action of the city's anti-violence network, through nine anti-violence centers and nine shelters where it is possible to find listening, through telephone or on-site interviews, psychological support, civil legal guidance and criminal, health care. In 2022, 2.147 women turned to the affiliated structures and were supported. In the first half of 2023 there were 1.629. Of these, 61 have agreed on a reception program in the city's shelter homes.

The majority of women followed in 2023 are aged between 21 and 39 (50%), but the number is also significantly high in the 40 to 60 age group (over 30%). The women who suffer violence are Italian in 65% of cases and only in 43% of cases are they economically independent. The violence suffered is almost always of a psychological nature (86% of cases) or physical (60%), although there is no shortage of cases of economic violence (over 20%), sexual violence (22%) and stalking (16%). ) and very often different types of abuse overlap and coexist. 60% of the supported women have children - often minors - who therefore almost always witnessed violence against their mother. In 80% of cases, women suffer abuse from a family member (70% of the time it is a husband, partner, boyfriend or ex).

As regards the activity of the local police, since the beginning of 2023 the Women and Minors Protection Unit has handled 240 files relating to family abuse, stalking, sexual violence, revenge porn and child pornography. Furthermore, the Unit is engaged in training activities both for new agents and officers of the Corps and for women enrolled in Pink Safety, the Municipality's free course dedicated to women, for self-defense and greater awareness.

To strengthen citizen coordination between public and private institutions and bodies that deal with combating gender violence, the Municipality of Milan has promoted the stipulation of the inter-institutional territorial anti-violence protocol which sees as signatories, in addition to the Administration, around 40 subjects : the nine municipalities, the managers of the anti-violence centers and shelters in the city network, the ordinary court, the court for minors and the respective prosecutors, the police forces and the Prefecture, the health system with the ATS and the its ASST, the Territorial Commission for the recognition of international protection, the Territorial School Office and the Italian Center for the promotion of mediation.

The objective is to network resources and professionalism to create common working methodologies and share good practices and collected data, defining operational methods of intervention to guarantee integrated management of support for women who suffer violence and also of prevention.

Until November 25th, the civic libraries are organizing exhibitions, meetings, readings and workshops to reflect on gender violence and contribute to the formation of a culture that recognizes and guarantees equal rights and true equality. They are free initiatives, open to everyone (link to the complete calendar).

Among these, we particularly highlight the appointment on Saturday 25 November at 15 pm when, in the garden of the Sormani Library, the inauguration of a red bench will take place. Speakers will include councilor Sacchi, Stefano Parise, director of the Libraries Area, Diana De Marchi, president of the Equal Opportunities and Civil Rights Council Commission. Following, the theatrical monologue "Rape" by Franca Rame curated by CETEC Spazio Alda Merini and the inauguration of the exhibition "We say stop" curated by the Communication Design course of the Polytechnic of Milan.

The complete program of initiatives carried out throughout the city on the occasion of November 25th can be consulted on the website Milan, city of women.