“The decision of the Municipality of Terni di entrust the 'Integrated system of services to combat violence against women' through a tender with the criterion of the most advantageous economic offer, with a call published on 1 December expiring on 21 December, without taking into account the reality of the territory, or the fact that since 2014 the LiberaTutte anti-violence center has been managed by LiberaMente Donna ETS , currently follows the paths of 200 women and hosts 5 women and 9 minors in the shelters, it is of unprecedented severity ".

Antonella Veltri, president of D.i.Re, of which LiberaMente Donna ETS is a part, comments on the Umbrian association's decision not to participate in the tender of the Municipality of Terni, announced with a press release explaining the reasons for a “shared and painful, but necessary” choice.

“The economic resources made available by the tender, equal to 182.119,26 euros, are insufficient and inadequate to what is necessary in order to guarantee the quality of the structures, moreover to a large extent borne by the successful bidder, and of the numerous related activities - reads the declaration of LiberaMente Donna ETS - The failure to recognize the methodology of the relationship between women, the priority of the will and self-determination of women, central aspects for defining the path to exit from violence and for us all indispensable prerequisites. The tender it does not value the participation of women's and feminist associations who were the first in Italy to open, manage, implement and strengthen the Anti-violence Centers and the related good practices that are recognized by the Istanbul Convention, by the State-Regions Agreement on the minimum requirements of Anti-violence Centers and Refuge Houses and by the Law of the Umbria Region n. 14/2016. Priority is not given to the construction of women's awareness and autonomy, nor is any reference made to forecasts and paths necessary for the construction of collaboration between the subjects of the Territorial Anti-violence Network, aimed at preventing and preventing secondary victimization ".

There also remained unanswered letter sent by D.i.Re to the Minister for Equal Opportunities Elena Bonetti, in which the tender of the Municipality of Terni was noted, noting how "the anti-violence centers supported by public administrations continue to be distorted by adopting criteria and procedures that not only do not respect the dictates of the Istanbul Convention, but put at risk the the same local anti-violence network as it has been structuring in recent years, thanks also to the commitment of the women's associations that have managed the anti-violence centers and shelters in the area ”.

"This situation does not only concern Umbria, but also other territories that present similar or specific criticalities, with the result of making the intervention in terms of preventing and combating male violence against women increasingly discriminatory. A patchy situation that is likely to to nullify every effort made in the direction of a coherent and effective national anti-violence system, as it is in the ambition of the new national anti-violence plan ”, says Veltri.

For this it is necessary "accelerate the revision process of the State-Regions Agreement of 2014, announced by Minister Bonetti, as well as the presentation of the operational plan which must concretely implement the new national anti-violence plan, in order to avoid situations like the one that arose in Terni ”, concludes the president of D.i.Re.

"We will try in every way to continue our action alongside women victims of violence, for them and for all our commitment remains unchanged ”, announce the operators and activists of LiberaMente Donna ETS.