In these months of November and December 2020, Italian Soroptimists are mobilising with conviction and passion to support the campaign initiated by the United Nations and UN Women “Orange the World”. All the clubs across the country are uniting to carry the colour and message of this annual initiative with the slogan “DECIDO IO” (I decide).
This year more than ever, Soroptimist members hope to raise awareness and create a more concrete and widespread commitment than in previous years, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Violence against women has indeed increased exponentially. The Union of Italy has chosen to support two initiatives, which directly support measures of assistance and shelter for victims of domestic violence. These institutions have not ceased to receive and assist those in need during the pandemic.
To support the first initiative “Le Clementine antiviolenza”, all Italian clubs can buy boxes of clementines, produced by women farmers in Calabria, the proceeds of which will be donated to “Rete D.i.RE”, which has 80 anti-violence centres throughout the country. This project has three main objectives:
- To raise public awareness about violence against women and to become a symbol for all women victims of violence, in memory of a Calabrian student who died under the blows of her fiancé in 2013.
- To support women entrepreneurs in Calabria and to participate in their financial empowerment.
- To provide concrete economic support to anti-violence associations and centres, which help victims on a daily basis through telephone, psychological and legal support, personalised interviews, shelter reception, etc.
The second initiative is to illuminate in orange the police barracks, which house 170 rooms, set up by the Soroptimist, as a symbolic reminder that there is a safe place to turn to.
To conclude the 16 Days of Activism campaign, on 10 December 2020, the Union of Italy will propose to its clubs to attend a virtual conference by Prof. Tanya Hernandez: “Feminism in the time of #BlackLivesMatter – a conversation across borders”.