the men’s committee against violence against … was born in Florence
by Domenico Guarino
“We are a group of men who have decided to say enough is enough. We are fathers, uncles, husbands, brothers, partners or just friends of women whom we have often not respected or allowed to be. But we are men who have finally become aware of a serious social problem and the need to take care of everyone, without delegating “. Thus begins the manifesto of the committee ‘Let’s learn to say We‘born in Florence with the aim of reaffirming a principle as simple as it is dangerous: violence against women is above all a problem for men. Whoever thinks of that violence, plans it, carries it out, occasionally or systematically.
And therefore it is, even if not above all on men, that we must work to defend women. “The committee was born from the initiative of several people, both men and women, but it arises from the need to spread a sensitivity on the fact that we are talking about male violence. Shake by men. And therefore it is necessary that it is precisely men who undertake a path of awareness on how widespread the background of this violence is “he says. Pippo Russo, sociologist, one of the leaders of the initiative. “We look at the glaring acts of violence against women that culminate in femicide as if they were exceptions that do not affect us that concern us from afar, unless we are directly involved and instead these acts are the culmination of a very widespread culture that starts from small daily abuses from prevarications to male violence and is on those that must be acted upon and that a widespread awareness must be created. The committee was born to take as an example of collectives that have sprung up elsewhere but wants to have the ambition of being a civic subject and this is the real novelty “.
What is the goal?
“The goal is to produce a widespread culture on the emergence of gender-based violence which is an emergency precisely for the cat to be trivialized. And in this sense, I believe that the work that is intended to be done in schools with children is very important. We have already started And I can say that they have just received from the diffusion of a protection and awareness among the young people of the younger generations who can far well hope
Who is on the committee?
“In addition to me, they are part of the committee Eros Cruccolini, Donata Bianchi, Mohamed Abu El Elàn, Eduardo Villa, Andrea Bagni. There is also great support from Alessandra Pauncz from Cam and Elena Baragli from Artemisia.
Where do you think this strong resurgence of crimes against women, whether physical, psychological, or even homicides, comes from? Is it the emergence of a phenomenon that has always existed but is hidden or are we faced with something new?
“My opinion is that we do not see a resurgence, but rather that the sensitivity and attention of public opinion is increased. Then, of course, the pandemic and the confinements led to some worsening of the situation “.
What can politics do?
“In this phase, in addition to intervening on the legislative level, politics must promote cultural work. We need to change culture and mentality and it is a very long job. I also believe that local politics plays a decisive role. And in this sense, the support of the municipality of Florence and the mayor Dario Nardella for the committee is a signal from which to take an example “.