University of Bologna Joins UN Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence, Amid Commitment, Arts, and Languages

Commitment, arts and languages to address gender-based violence. The University of Bologna adheres to the "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence," a 16-day activism campaign promoted by the United Nations connecting November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with December 10, Human Rights Day.

It will be a series of events, including a discussion with Paola Di Nicola Travaglini, a counsellor of the Court of Cassation and former legal consultant to the Senate's Femicide Commission, a theatrical performance born from the desire of two mothers who shared the tragedy of their daughters' feminicide, and the opening of a new university helpdesk against gender-based violence at the Forlì Campus of the University of Bologna.

"We want to talk about gender-based violence, and to do so, we have decided to join the '16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence' promoted by the UN," declares Cristina Demaria, Delegate for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity of the University of Bologna. "It is an activism campaign against gender-based violence supported by organisations worldwide to promote the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. We want to reaffirm and strengthen the University's commitment to counter, recognize, and report, when necessary, any form of violence and unacceptable behaviour in our study and work environments."

It starts today, 21 November at 3:00 PM, in Room 1, via Zamboni 32, with the meeting "Woman, Life, Freedom! Violence, Reports, Resistance, and Revolution of Iranian Women." Sanam Naderi, activist and independent artist, and Gianluca Costantini, activist artist and graphic journalist, will participate. The event will be coordinated by Federica Zanetti, Rosy Nardone, and Giovanna Guerzoni of CSGE - Centre for Gender Studies and Education of the University of Bologna.

The programme continues with a preview at the Ravenna Campus: on Thursday, November 23, at 2:00 PM, at Palazzo Verdi (via Pasolini, 23 - Ravenna), the seminar "HER Voice. Honesty, Empowerment, Resilience" is scheduled, organized by the I-Contact Degree Programme in collaboration with the student association "Tôchi bellezza." International scholars and activists will discuss the topic of violence against women based on case studies (in Lebanon and Egypt) and with reference to the forms of violence perpetrated online.

Another preview: on Friday, 24 November at 2:30 PM, in the Quadriportico of the former Roncati Hospital, now Casa della Comunità Saragozza (via Sant'Isaia, 90 - Bologna), the opening of the exhibition on violence against women "What Were You Wearing?" is scheduled, curated by the Malala Association, with the patronage of the University of Bologna. After institutional greetings, the event will continue with a series of contributions and readings on the theme of gender-based violence.

On this occasion, Ilaria Tarricone, professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of the University of Bologna, presents "Women on the Move and Mental Health: Intimate Partner Violence," an observational study at the Emergency Department of Sant'Orsola Polyclinic. "Violence," says Tarricone, "is a phenomenon with 'concentric rings' of oppression that spread, like those around a stone thrown into the water, from cultural influence. It can make us indifferent or even complicit in relation to inequalities and discriminations in social and professional contexts. Its interpersonal impact in the gender dimension, almost always sees women as victims of the most dramatic expressions. In other words, we cannot expect to eradicate the most extreme forms of violence that affect interpersonal relationships unless we address the manifestations of violence at the cultural, social, and workplace levels."

On Saturday, 25 November - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - the University of Bologna, with the Metropolitan City and the Pact for Equality, promotes "Ten Questions about Violence". From 10:00 AM, in the DAMSLab Auditorium (and via livestreaming), a discussion between high school girls and boys from Bologna and the surrounding province, with the University of Bologna, Anti-Violence Centers, and Centers for Male Perpetrators of Violence.

After the greetings from Rector Giovanni Molari, Mayor Matteo Lepore, and Giuseppe Antonio Panzardi, Head of the Regional School Office, Paola Di Nicola Travaglini, counsellor of the Court of Cassation and former legal consultant to the Senate's Femicide Commission, will speak.

The programme will continue Sunday, 26 November, at 6:00 PM, with the show "Do You Really Believe (He's Sincere)," scheduled at the Candilejas Theater (via Bentini, 20 – Bologna). The performance - with Nino Faranna and Francesca Macci, based on the novel by Roberto Ottonelli, adapted and directed by Alice Grati - is part of the "Women Defense" project, born from the will of two mothers who shared the tragedy of their daughters' feminicide and who are committed to preventing and recognizing the signs of a violent relationship. On stage, two actors will tell the story, highlighting how feminicide stems from many other forms of violence that we often fail to recognize the signs of.

After the theatre, the focus shifts to television. On Tuesday, 28 November from 5:30 PM, at the Pop Up Cinema Arlecchino (via Lame, 59/a – Bologna), the meeting "New Narratives: the Representation of Gender-Based Violence through TV Series" is scheduled. This will be a moment to highlight how often TV and cinema present sterile and inadequate narratives on gender-based violence, fuelling toxic and harmful stereotypes. How has the narrative of gender-based violence on the small screen changed? What are the TV series that try to speak to us in a different way about violence against women?

The discussion will be moderated by Chiara Gius, researcher at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Bologna, and it will involve Professor Cristina Demaria, Delegate for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity of the University of Bologna, Marina Pierri, TV critic and co-founder and artistic director of FeST (Milan TV Series Festival), and Eugenia Fattori, film and TV critic, communication expert, and activist.

The next day, Wednesday, 29 November, the event will move to the Forlì Campus for the official opening of a new University helpdesk against gender-based violence, which will complement the one opened a year ago in Bologna. The new space is managed by the Women's Centre of the Municipality of Forlì, to counter and prevent male violence against women and all forms of gender-based violence.

The service is free and offers one-to-one interviews, telephone helpline, activation of the emergency procedure for the immediate protection of the person experiencing violence, information on services, figures, and institutional bodies of the University, the possibility of interaction with the network of local services and associations, and basic information on legal aspects.

On Thursday, 30 November, at 3:00 PM: the CSGE (Centre for Gender Studies and Education), in collaboration with the Infanzia magazine, organizes a commented reading of excerpts from Elena Gianini Belotti's book "Dalla parte delle bambine" (Little Girls), on the fiftieth anniversary of its publication. A temporary exhibition dedicated to the book will be set up simultaneously in multiple departments and in the central headquarters of the University of Bologna, created by CSGE with the collaboration of Cristina Demaria, Delegate for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, Federico Condello, Delegate for Students and Communication, and Cristina Gamberi, research fellow, University of Bologna.

The book "Dalla parte delle bambine" (Feltrinelli, 1973) by pedagogue Elena Gianini Belotti (1929-2022) represents a milestone in gender studies, in Italy and internationally. Translated into 15 languages, it is a text that analyses for the first time how social conventions about what is typically male and what is typically female operate as material and symbolic devices of inequality, exclusion, and complexes of inferiority.

On Tuesday, 5 December, in Room 8 of Palazzo Hercolani (Strada Maggiore, 45 – Bologna), the workshop on digital gender-based violence "Non-Consensual Disclosure of Intimate Images (NCDII)" is scheduled. During the event, a digital toolkit created by Chayn Italy will be presented, containing useful information to better understand what NCDII is, what tools to use to safeguard oneself, and some tips on digital self-protection.

Before a workshop, there will be a discussion about digital gender-based violence with Chayn Italy activists Chiara Missikof and Claudia Fratangeli, Chiara Gius, researcher at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, and Cristina Gamberi, research fellow at the University of Bologna.

The journey between commitment, arts, and languages to talk about gender-based violence will finally conclude on 7 December with an event - for the University Administrative staff - promoted by CUG, the Guarantee Committee for Equal Opportunities, Employee Wellbeing and Non-Discrimination at Work. From 9:30 AM in the Giorgio Prodi Room of the San Giovanni in Monte Complex (Piazza San Giovanni in Monte, 2 – Bologna), a series of initiatives will be put into action, ranging from promoting gender balance to strategies for enhancing well-being in the workplace.

After the greetings from Rector Giovanni Molari, Vice Rector for University Staff Giorgio Bellettini, and Federico Condello, Delegate for Students and Institutional Communication, Martina Vincieri, President of the CUG of the University of Bologna, will speak. The closing of the event will be entrusted to the Confidential Counsellor of the University of Bologna, Fiorella Giusberti.