“Do you know what the8 March, mommy?”, asks the little girl womens that is in front of her. You tell me, she replies. “It's the International Women's Day“, the girl warbles. Yes, celebration. The term “rite” evokes, both by tradition and by etymology, joyful and happy days. Anniversaries to be celebrated with a smile in our eyes. It's a shame, however, that there continues to be very little joy and happiness about March 8th. One figure above all – Eurostat – tells us, for example, that in all European countries Every week 18 women die from femicide. Eighteen. Perhaps this is also why the European Commission has recently presented the Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030: across the EU, the executive states in a note, one in three women has experienced gender-based violence in her lifetime.
More numbers. In Italy – according to the latest Istat data – 6,4 million women have suffered some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. (31,9% of women between 16 and 75 years old). In particular, 26,5% of women have suffered physical or sexual violence from relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, or strangers. Although the average figure remains unchanged, There has been a significant increase in the violence suffered by very young girls (16-24 years old) and by students linked to psychological, digital and relational violence.
If this is a party.
What is needed, therefore, is that March 8th really transforms from a cyclical event to a moral obligation, definitely takes another turn and becomes – concretely – a commitment capable of acting as a driving force for all the other days of the year, so that these numbers can tell us different scenarios, experiences that are no longer humiliating, stories of freedom. Will a commitment be enough? What questions. In fact, it is always the EU Commission that tells us that "although progress has been made, estimates from the European Institute for Gender Equality suggest that, at the current rate of change, It will take 50 years for the EU to reach full parity".
As if such a long horizon were not enough, the results of a survey conducted by Ipsos in collaboration with King's College London (to coincide with today's event) paint a picture of perhaps unexpected scenarios. Here they are. young men of Generation Z – that is, those born between 1997 and 2012 – they have stereotypical and “old” ideas about womenOne in three thinks wives should obey their husbands and that the male spouse should have the final say in a relationship. Furthermore, Generation Z men are twice as likely as Baby Boom men (born between 1946 and 1964) to hold traditional views on decision-making within marriage.
Desolate numbers. Creepy mentalities which don't bode well in the long run. So, let's make a commitment.
But when making a commitment, it's good to know the current state of the art. And the question is: how does Italy fare in terms of support and possible immediate responses? According to an international study published in Lancet Global Health which analyses 8 countries – including ours – the legislative framework related to violence against women appears complex but shows a level of recognition and response to violence still limited, fragmented and heterogeneous across the country. This causes a marked gap between the number of women who suffer violence and the number of those who manage to be recognized and taken care of by public services, with many cases remaining outside the institutional perimeter.
Estimates suggest that Only a portion of women who suffer violence actually come into contact with public servicesSurprisingly, a very low share of formal recognition of intimate partner violence occurs through the healthcare sector, corresponding to approximately 1,3%–5,6% of the estimated need in the four countries reporting healthcare data, including Italy.
According to the Global Burden of Disease 2021 calculations used in the study, the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a partner in the last 12 months in Italy is estimated at 5,4% among women aged 15 and over. Furthermore, although Italy has a set of relevant laws – from Law 119/2013 to “Red Code” of 2019, up until Law 53/2022 on the integrated statistical system and the more recent Law 181/2025 on the crime of femicide – and national planning tools that outline roles and responsibilities, their implementation is uneven, with strong regional differences in the availability and continuity of services, the stability of funding, the functioning of territorial coordination and the operational capacity of the sectors involved.
“The study – he underlines Benedetta Armocida, of the Higher Institute of Health, that led the Italian case together with Flavia Bustreo – recalls the need for a a truly integrated approach, in which healthcare, justice, social services, law enforcement, education and employment operate through clear, coordinated pathways supported by adequate resourcesThe healthcare sector, in particular, is identified as an essential point of contact that is still underutilized today, while anti-violence centers represent a fundamental resource." Password to be transformed into Facts.
“Do you know what March 8th is, Mom?” A commitment first and foremost, dear little woman.
