24 July 2023. The Association national D..i.Re - Women on the Net against violence published on report on 2022 data.
"The anti-violence centers continue to be a fundamental point of reference for thousands of women who decide to embark on their path of exit from violence, in Italy" declares Antonella Veltri, president D.i.Re - Women on the Net against violence. “The work is continuous, even if the attention of the institutions in charge is concentrated on almost useless security measures and on increasing the funds for the centers for abusers. This choice leaves us even more perplexed, especially after the latest tragic news events, while funds for anti-violence centers continue to be scarce and irregular. We need everyone's support to continue working for women's freedom and for a more equal society." concludes the president.
In 2022 were welcomed overall 20.711 women, of which 14.288 are “new women”, substantially stable numbers compared to the previous year (14.565 in 2021).
It is interesting to note how, according to the latest ISTAT report (https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/278050), in the second and third quarters of 2022, there was instead a drop in calls to the public utility number 1522 by victims of violence (dat 4.243 at 2.716; -35% for the second quarter; from 3.752 to 2717; -27,6% for the third quarter).
The characteristics of the woman who goes to an anti-violence center D.iRe have consolidated over the years: in terms of age, almost half in 2022 too (47,3%) of the women received is between the ages of 30 and 49.
Of particular relevance is the number of women over 60: 1.638. A figure that represents the transversality of male violence to women, also with respect to the age of the women who suffer it.
The Network Centers welcome mainly Italian women. 29% of women who turned to an anti-violence center in 2022 are of foreign origin, marking a growth of 3 percentage points compared to the last two years, 2021 and 2020 (26%). The figure is in line with the national ISTAT figure for 2021 (30%) and 2020 (27,7%) (https://www.istat.it/it/violenza-sulle-donne).
The perpetrator of the violence is predominantly Italian (only 28% comes from abroad) and this data, now consolidated over the years, calls into question the widespread stereotype which sees the phenomenon of male violence against women as a legacy of cultural universes located in the "elsewhere" of non-European countries. However, compared to the 2021 figure, there is an increase of one percentage point for perpetrators of foreign origin (27%).
The data relating to INPS leave requests are interesting, representing 27,5% of the leaves granted in Italy:
INPS EXTRAORDINARY LEAVE REQUESTS: 203
INPS EXTRAORDINARY LEAVE CONCESSIONS: 158
I 105 anti-violence centers of the network, managed by over 80 member organizations, they are present in all Italian regions, except in the Molise Region and continue to have a non-homogeneous distribution on the national territory: more than half of the centers are located in the northern area (57 equal to 54%); in the center 23 centers (equal to 22%) and between the south (17) and islands (8) there are 25 centers (equal to 24%).
Together with the number of women welcomed, compared to 2021 the response that the anti-violence centers give in the area has also remained substantially stable: the organizations of the Network that participated in the survey (78 out of 81), through their 105 anti-violence centres, manage 176 Anti-violence doors, with a slight decrease compared to the 182 branches in 2021.
More than half of the Centers (59%) can count on at least one hospitality facility (62 in total). In this regard, there has been a significant increase in apartments and which the Centers have: 198 in 2022, compared to 185 in 2021. I beds are available over 1.000.
The activities that the Centers guarantee to women are always numerous: reception and the possibility of legal advice in almost all cases, psychological advice and job orientation courses in around 90% of cases. The comparison with 2021 shows substantial stability compared to the significant increase recorded last year for the counseling for illegal immigrant women (76% of centers) and the job orientation service (94% of the Centres). This figure is particularly significant if one considers that uone out of three women (30% among unemployed, housewives and students) it is zero income, in line with 2021 (31,9%) and 2020 (32,9). Only 36,7% (between employed and retired) can count on a secure income, in line with past years.
The number of women who decide to report is still very low: only 27% of the women accepted, a percentage that decreases by one percentage point compared to last year (28%). There secondary victimization by institutions that come into contact with women (social services, police forces, courts, etc.) or by the media continues to hold back the establishment of a relationship of trust with women who intend to go to justice, also for fear of media exposure, as the news of these days demonstrates.
The activity of the Network's anti-violence centers is largely supported by the voluntary work of activists, Of which only 32,5% are paid, also due to the scarcity and non-structural nature of funds. To deal with this situation, in addition to continuing to urge the institutions, and in particular the Equal Opportunities Department, D.i.King spear a fundraiser.
"The data collection of D.i.Re – Donne in Rete contro la violenza - once again - photographs a situation that is confirmed as structural: the women welcomed by anti-violence centers and accompanied in their paths of exit from violence stand at very high figures, an even more impressive figure if one thinks of how much this phenomenon is still submerged, often not recognized and stigmatized” declares Antonella Veltri, president D.i.Re – Donne in Rete contro la violenza. "Through this work of monitoring and analyzing the data collected, it is also possible to highlight the characteristics of the perpetrators of violence and the peculiarities of male violence against women, in all its various forms”Concludes Veltri
Methodological note
It is important to remember, that the data presented does not constitute a probability sample. In fact, these data refer only to women who turn to the Network's anti-violence centres D.i.Re and who have therefore decided to embark on a path of exit from violence.
Read and download here report on 2022 data.