This morning, Police Commissioner Emma Ivagnes and Patrizia Minardi, member of the Equal Opportunities Committee of Soroptimist International of Italy, inaugurated “A Room of One’s Own”, a protected and welcoming space for victims of gender-based violence and minors, located inside the Matera Police Headquarters. Present at the event were Prefect Cristina Favilli, Mayor Domenico Bennardi, Deputy Prosecutor Maria Christina De Tommasi and a large delegation from the Soroptimist International Association – Club of Matera, led by Maria Rosaria Pellegrini. The space reproduces a domestic and comfortable environment, where victims can process their story and rely on the professionalism of the police officers, reporting the facts of violence and mistreatment suffered. «The project – said Police Commissioner Emma Ivagnes – implements the purposes identified by the Collaboration Protocol, signed on November 25, 2020 by the Department of Public Security and the Soroptimist International Association of Italy. The aim is to provide support to victims through a comfortable environment that encourages empathetic listening and can thus mitigate the traumatic effects of so-called secondary victimization. The room will also facilitate protected hearings of minors, victims of violence, including witnessed violence, recognized as vulnerable categories that require “protected” listening in the presence of a psychologist, due to their age and to protect their psychophysical balance. The hope is that this will encourage victims to contact the Police in cases of violence suffered and help establish that relationship of trust to support them in the delicate moment of formalizing the complaint. After the first agreements started at the beginning of this year with Soroptimist International – Club di Matera, a room was identified within the premises of the Police Headquarters that had a suitable logistical location (guaranteeing above all privacy) and work has begun on the creation of the “Room All for Oneself”. The costs of the set-up – furniture and IT equipment needed to facilitate the police officers’ work of listening – were entirely supported by the Association
