Violence women, during pandemic boom in requests for help: + 79.5%

Boom in requests for help from women victims of violence and stalking during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, calls to 1522, the public utility number against violence and stalking, increased by 79.5% compared to 2019, both by telephone and via chat (+ 71%), according to what emerges from the Istat anti-violence centers and shelters. The boom in calls began at the end of March, during the lockdown, with peaks in April (+ 176.9% compared to the same month of 2019) and in May (+182.2 compared to May 2019), but above all in occasion of 25 November, the day in which violence against women is remembered, also due to the media campaign. In 2020, this peak, always present over the years, was decidedly more important given that, in the week between 23 and 29 November 2020, calls more than doubled (+ 114.1% compared to 2019). A violence, the one reported in 1522, above all physical (47.9% of cases), but almost all women have suffered more than one form of violence and among these the psychological one emerges (50.5%). Compared to previous years, requests for help from very young girls up to the age of 24 have increased (11.8% in 2020 against 9.8% in 2019) and women over 55 (23.2% in 2020; 18) , 9% in 2019). Violence by family members is increasing (18.5% in 2020 against 12.6% in 2019) while those from current partners are stable (57.1% in 2020). In the first 5 months of 2020, 20,525 women turned to anti-violence centers (Cav), 8.6% of the violence originated from situations linked to the pandemic (for example forced cohabitation, loss of work by the perpetrator or the woman). REPORTS FROM VICTIM RELATIVES ARE GROWING In 2020, 15,128 women victims of violence contacted the public utility number, 79.5% more than the 8,427 calls in 2019. Mostly telephone requests, but not only: in fact, the messages arrived at the dedicated chat have grown: 2361 against 683 in 2019, with an increase of 71%. It is women who call 1522 directly, but cases of relatives, friends, acquaintances or even operators of the various services are not rare in the area to report episodes of violence. Also in this case the number of reports increased by more than 80%, going from a total of 745 calls to 1,348. Over half of women report that violence has lasted for years (68% in 2018, 69% in 2019 and 58% in 2020) or months. , as a time slot, they intensify from 9 to 17. This trend does not change over the years and highlights the search for contact away from the control and the presence of other family members at home. The home is in fact confirmed as the main place of violence (from 2013 to 2020, 75% of victims indicate the home as the place where the violent act is committed). In 7,250 cases the violence is of a physical nature which is accompanied primarily by psychological violence, economic violence and threats.