Despite the many counteractions undertaken in recent times, the phenomenon of gender violence shows no sign of decreasing. The murder of Giulia Cecchettin, which occurred at the end of 2023, had sparked indignation throughout the country, generating public demonstrations and stimulating a substantial debate on femicide. For this and other reasons, the numbers released by Cuneo’s chief prosecutor, Onelio Dodero, are surprising. In the first three and a half months of the year, at the Court in Piazza Galimberti, reports of crimes relating to the so-called “Red Code” – the law introduced in July 2019 to strengthen the protection of those who suffer violence, persecution and mistreatment – are increasing compared to last year’s average. The occasion for dissemination was the working table of the Cuneo Anti-Violence Network, which met on the afternoon of Monday 22 April in the Council Room of the capital municipality.
The data, which refer to the interval from 1 January to 15 April, show 143 new reports of crime, compared to 368 for the whole of 2023. If last year the average was approximately one case per day, in in the first three and a half months of 2024 we are talking about 1.36 episodes per day. A rather substantial increase which, if on the one hand puts the Prosecutor’s Office under pressure – the crimes of the so-called Red Code are the most numerous, more than double compared to the second group, that of economic crimes -, on the other hand it could give rise to hope for a growth of awareness on the part of victims of violence. Violence which, in the vast majority of cases, takes place within the home: “Often – explained Dodero, without revealing optimism -, the victim of the crime considers himself almost responsible and tends to minimize what happened: this is a pathological phenomenon of romantic relationships, which particularly affects fragile people”. As far as our territory is concerned, the most frequent crime is family abuse with 85 reports of crime in the first three and a half months of the year alone. In the same period, stalking came in second place, with 42 reports of crime, and sexual violence in third place (18 cases). Finally, again in the period from the beginning of the year to Monday 15 April, there were 17 violations of precautionary measures. “In 99% of cases the perpetrator is male”, added the prosecutor.
Various themes emerged from the table – established in May 2008 involving public and private social actors involved in the fight against violence against women. The speeches by Monica Serra, medical director of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the Santa Croce and Carle hospital, and Federica Moroni, doctor of the health management of the Savigliano Hospital (ASL CN1), illustrated the internal protocols adopted in the health facilities for the reception of victims. Among the critical issues that emerged in the emergency room is that of language: some women of foreign origin have difficulty expressing themselves in Italian and explaining what happened. This happens especially at night, when there is a lack of translators or cultural mediators. Some members of the Anti-Violence Network were available to lend a hand to resolve the situation by providing their lists, fully achieving the objectives of the periodic meetings. The main objective of the table – promoted and coordinated by the Equality and Anti-discrimination department of the Municipality of Cuneo – is to strengthen collaborative relationships and connections between the various bodies/associations committed to combating gender violence, in search of good practices able to effectively counteract the phenomenon.
The discussion then continued with the interventions of the members of the various associations and bodies making up the network, by the representative of the CSV (Volunteer Services Centre), who focused the spotlight on the situation of schools, where young people often fall into relationships defined by themselves “toxic” and the unpreparedness of part of the teaching staff in dealing with certain issues due to the absence of dedicated training. Representatives of the CUAV (Centres for Men Perpetrators of Violence) and the Mai+sole center then spoke. Finally, it is worth mentioning the initiative of the Fiordaliso cooperative, which has announced its intention to start a fundraiser to open a new “Casa in suspense”, a shelter-house for women victims of violence (there are currently eight). The details of the project, which involves a long journey starting from Cuneo, will be illustrated later in an ad hoc press conference.
The Anti-Violence Network will meet again in May: the data released by the Prosecutor’s Office demonstrate that, even in our territory, there is still a lot of work to do to eradicate a phenomenon that has strong cultural roots.
