Making cities safe places for women: this is Donnexstrada’s mission and the final goal of the Purple Points.
The Purple Points are commercial establishments trained and made aware of violence and street safety by the DXS legal and psychological team.
Scattered in the cities of Italy, they are places where every woman victim of gender abuse can ask for help and find a safe haven in case of danger. The help is transversal. It is instant thanks to concrete and immediate actions:
− let the woman enter the room if she is being chased and make sure that the danger ends
− call the police
− direct the victim to the nearest women’s home
− refer the victim to the nearby hospital for checks if there is one
it was a sexual assault.
Furthermore, public places such as bars, restaurants, pharmacies, discos, hairdressers, are important resources which, through the relationship between customer and operator, can have a liaison function with the local authorities present, which deal with violence. It therefore becomes an aid that is widespread throughout the territory.
Thus, a network is created that expands the number of people active against gender-based violence, with the hope that, on the other hand, the number of women who are afraid will decrease.
The survey
Donnexstrada has carried out a survey which shows that Milan, Rome, Turin and Bologna are the least safe cities. The percentages are dramatic: at night 96% of the women who took part in the survey do not feel calm walking around alone and when the sun goes down 8 out of ten are not even when they are in the company of someone. During the day the percentages change, but the sense of insecurity is still there: 20% do not feel safe in company and 56% are afraid to go around alone.
How are numbers reflected in a woman’s daily life? In all of her choices. The (un)safety of the route to be traveled influences:
80% of women in accepting a job,
82% in the purchase of a train ticket (even more expensive but currently more “suitable”), 64% in university study hours,
62% in the election of the course in the gym (never after a certain time).
“The Punti Viola project has a twofold objective: to create safe spaces within cities, to allow citizens not to feel lonely on the street when they are afraid. With this project we also take advantage of the places frequented by people on a daily basis to circulate important information regarding tools and resources present in the area that are useful for combating gender-based violence. Correct information can lower the risk of secondary victimization and, above all, it can help people not feel alone. In fact, the message we want to send is precisely this. You are not alone.” Ilaria Saliva, president of Donnexstrada, explained.
One more Purple Point in the city is one less woman who is afraid. This is the biggest urban and social revolution we can dream of.
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For any information, send an email to [email protected].
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