In Italy, 6.4 million women have experienced physical or sexual violence. Across the EU, the estimated cost of violence stands at €366 billion a year. And in the workplace, harassment remains widespread and underreported. This is why organisations can make a real difference.

Gender-based violence remains a structural and cross-cutting issue. In Italy, the share of women who have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime still stands at around 30%: 6.4 million people. A similar figure — roughly one in three women — emerges at European level, according to the latest estimates from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). More than half of all physical violence against women is committed by a current or former partner, and the data points to a growing prevalence among younger generations. One figure in particular reveals the possessiveness and power imbalances at the root of the issue: more than 60% of female homicides worldwide take place in the domestic sphere, while for men the figure drops to around 12%.

The impact is economic too. In the European Union, the overall cost of gender-based violence is estimated at around €366 billion a year, including lost productivity, healthcare and social costs, legal expenses, and victim support.

This is also a direct concern for organisations. In Europe, 31% of working women say they have experienced sexual harassment at work at some point in their lives; among women aged 18 to 29, the figure rises to 42%. And yet this is where a contradiction in how the issue is perceived becomes apparent: 75% of working women believe harassment is rare or uncommon. In Italy, Fondazione Libellula’s L.E.I. survey found that nearly 7 in 10 working women had received sexist remarks or comments on their appearance; more than 35% had experienced unwanted physical contact; over 35% had been subjected to explicit unwanted advances; and among executives and women business leaders, more than half reported physical harassment.

A new paper bringing together data and good practices from organisations

It is against this backdrop that the paper produced by Amapola together with Fondazione Libellula and the University of Turin was developed. Presented in Turin on Thursday 5 March, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the paper brings together Italian, European and global data and takes an in-depth look at the tools businesses and organisations can activate to prevent and tackle violence, both inside and outside the workplace. The document includes 23 case studies and highlights a number of recurring levers: training, work on language and bias, structured policies — including in connection with gender equality certification — listening and reporting channels, support measures for those experiencing violence, and partnerships with local communities and anti-violence centres.

“Businesses and organisations have an impact on the lives of a great many people: they can drive real change”, explained Micol Burighel, Head of Communication and Gender Equality at Amapola. “Some have already started taking action through projects of different kinds, aimed at preventing and tackling violence in all its forms — from the most widespread and early-stage manifestations, such as sexist language, stereotypes and bias, to the most serious forms, including harassment and psychological, sexual and physical violence”.

During the morning session, Monica Cerutti, Secretary General of UN Women Italy, offered an interpretative lens that ran through the entire discussion: “When we talk about gender-based violence, we often describe it as an emergency. We should instead start talking about the architecture of power. Because violence is not just individual behaviour: it is the outcome of an unbalanced social and economic structure. And what has been designed can be redesigned.” The debate also highlighted the need to involve men without oversimplifying the issue, thanks in part to the contribution of the association Il Cerchio degli uomini: rethinking models of masculinity, moving beyond a culture of control and domination, legitimising vulnerability and empathy, and promoting shared responsibility in care.

The morning alternated between the presentation of the paper, contributions from the institutions sponsoring the event — the Metropolitan City of Turin, the Turin Chamber of commerce, the Turin Industrial Union and Torino Social Impact — a roundtable featuring companies and associations, including CSI Piemonte, Edison, Roquette Italia, Lidl Italia, the Me.dea Anti-Violence Centre and others, and a participatory working session with the audience, the outcomes of which will feed into a new paper.

According to Giovanni Rubino, Director of People, Organisation and Digital Campus at CSI Piemonte, “The organisation’s culture, which has always been shaped by inclusiveness and respect for gender equality, has been further strengthened through the development of the Gender Equality Plan, through which we coordinated all actions related to work-life balance, gender equality in recruitment and career progression, women’s participation in training, women’s representation in decision-making roles, and the fight against gender-based violence. Through our CSI Digital Campus, we also developed a detailed training plan: from the WOM X programme, which raised awareness among all staff about cognitive bias, inclusive language and microaggressions, to the immersive experiences of the Empathy Lab, which allowed people to understand first-hand the discrimination experienced by the most vulnerable groups. This integrated approach, combining structured policies, widespread training and monitoring tools, has helped increase awareness among our people of the value of inclusion and respect. Our commitment will continue over the coming years through a new three-year strategic plan linked to UNI PdR 125/2022 certification, the design of further training pathways, and initiatives aimed at bringing male and female students closer to STEM subjects. All these actions move in the same direction: continuing to work responsibly so that gender equality becomes a real, everyday commitment capable of creating value for people and for the organisation.”

Filomena Lamanna, DE&I Project Leader at Edison, spoke about the work the company has done starting with language: “At Edison, we have challenged ourselves in order to influence organisational culture in an authentic and participatory way, fostering awareness and reflection on the words we choose, the behaviours we normalise, and the impact these have on our colleagues. It is a path of social responsibility that helps us recognise microaggressions in order to prevent gender-based violence. We believe that acting on language is essential to transforming everyday practice, both within the company and in the communities we are part of.”

Partners and supporters of the initiative

The event was hosted by CSI Piemonte at CSI Next. The initiative was promoted by Amapola Società Benefit and delivered as part of Measure 6.1 of the Agenda for Sustainable Development of the Metropolitan City of Turin and its territory. Sponsors: the Metropolitan City of Turin, Torino Social Impact, the Turin Industrial Union, the Turin Chamber of commerce and the Turin Women’s Entrepreneurship Committee. Scientific partners: Fondazione Libellula, the University of Turin, UniToGO and CIRSDe. Supporting the project: CSI Piemonte, Edison, Lidl Italia and Roquette Italia. Technical partner: Dotwords.