Fondazione Libellula Impresa Sociale and Fondazione Vodafone Italia have signed a collaboration agreement to train social and health personnel to recognize the signs of violence against women.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, in 2021 there were 11,771 women who accessed the emergency room with indication of violence.
For this reason, the two Foundations considered it important to structure training courses to allow social and health workers to identify the signs of violence as quickly as possible and to use suitable relational tools to approach victims and make them safe. .
The initiative, supported by the Vodafone Italia Foundation, involves the involvement of some hospital facilities distributed throughout Italy. The first regions involved are Puglia, Campania, Lazio and Lombardy. A real intervention and protection network will be activated made up of organisations, associations, bodies and services in the area. The creation of a network between hospitals in the areas affected by the project is also envisaged to encourage the exchange of best practice and the discussion on a very current social phenomenon.
In particular, the Emergency Department, the Gynecology, Obstetrics, Traumatology, Paediatrics and Orthopedic Surgery departments will be involved. The training is organized by the Libellula Foundation, starting from the “Dai Segni ai Sogni” care project tested in 2022 on the staff of the ASST-Gaetano Pini-CTO of Milan and replicated in 6 other editions in the Milan area.
Vodafone Foundation will make it available as a tool to support social and healthcare personnel and women victims of violence “Bright Sky”, the free app, developed in collaboration with CADMI – Home of Battered Women and State Police, which provides resources, support and concrete tools to women who suffer violence and mistreatment. Bright Sky, a useful resource also for relatives, friends, work colleagues, associations and those who are close to abused women, provides information on the different types of violence and allows women to acquire greater awareness on how to manage the own situation. The app also provides a mapping of support services dealing with abuse, both locally and nationally.
Debora Moretti, President of the Libellula Foundationhe has declared: “Synergy between entities is fundamental to combat gender violence. For us, being able to make use of a partner like the Vodafone Foundation is a guarantee of being able to increase our range of action, with the certainty of having common values and objectives. If properly trained, healthcare personnel can save lives even outside hospital walls, with the right training. It’s about healing not only bodily wounds, but helping women escape violence.”
“The collaboration with the Libellula Foundation is an important step for us in the fight against gender violence” declares Adriana Versino, President of the Vodafone Italia Foundation. “We want to give concrete help and this project provides effective tools and allows us to recognize any risky situations and identify the necessary support. With our Bright Sky app we provide healthcare personnel with a useful resource that can support them in their work. Vodafone Foundation has always combated all forms of violence against women and is constantly committed to promoting an ecosystem of partners to support the cause.”