Gender violence crosses and involves the entire society, therefore it must be fought in every social and professional context. The management of Banca Montepaone – Credito Cooperativo is strongly convinced of this and, last 30 October, with the patronage of iDEE – Association of Women of Cooperative Credit, organized the conference “The invisible faces of gender violence”, in the conference room of Banca Montepaone, in Montepaone Lido.
Moments of discussion and shared reflections followed one another, offering concrete experiences and tools to raise awareness and prevent the ever-growing violence against women. Speaking at the conference, introduced by greetings from Antonio Dodaro, general director of Banca Montepaone, Maria Clausi, honorary judge at the Court of Catanzaro, and the president of iDEE, Teresa Fiordelisi, who underlined “the daily commitment of our association in education and prevention of gender violence, a drama that not only concerns women, but everyone, undermining the development of the entire society”.
In fact, she focused on the importance of undermining cultural models, power structures and control mechanisms that are perpetuated over time. “The cultural heritage that we have inherited – and which influences both the new generations and adults – is often characterized by stereotyped and sexist visions of the female figure, of the role of men and women in domestic and public life, of the way of living relationships, too often based on the concept of possession” he commented, recalling that, in addition to physical violence, there are other more subtle forms, such as psychological and economic violence.
Therefore, as reiterated by director Dodaro, the intervention of society and institutions is relevant. In this regard, “A woman, a job, an account” was highlighted, a project promoted by Corriere della Sera and shared by Credito Cooperativo to involve the world of banking, businesses and trade unions in a common action aimed at promoting the freedom and autonomy of women starting from economic independence.
The meeting continued with the presentation of the book “The invisible faces of gender violence” by Giusy Pino and Lucia Lipari, lawyers as well as representatives of the Observatory on gender violence of the Calabria Region, who spoke with Eleonora Longo, president of the Polyedra Association, and with Graziella Viscomi, deputy prosecutor of the Republic of Catanzaro.
In a debate, which involved the attentive audience present, the need for an integrated approach to guarantee protection and justice for victims of violence was analysed. With extreme delicacy and competence, the speakers focused on the importance of training and awareness raising in every context to promote a culture of respect and equality, offering concrete psychological and legal support tools.