Countering violence against women together, Memorandum of Understanding renewed and expanded

Autonomous Province of Trento, Government Commissariat for the Province of Trento, the Public Prosecutor’s Offices of Trento and Rovereto, Consorzio dei Comuni Trentini, Azienda provinciale per i servizi sanitari, University of Trento and from this year Questura di Trento, Comando Provinciale dei Carabinieri, Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione and Fondazione Bruno Kessler. These are the signatories of the “Memorandum of Understanding for the Prevention and Combating of Gender-based Violence in the Province of Trento,” which was officially signed this morning by representatives of the local authorities. This tool, now renewed and expanded, reflects the growing commitment of local authorities and civil society to combat this serious problem. Aiming to monitor and better understand the issue in the province of Trento, as well as to raise awareness and train operators, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding marks a significant step in the consolidation of an intervention, prevention and assistance network for women victims of violence.

A pact that grows stronger over time.Now in
its fifth renewal, the memorandum is functional to the continuation and reinforcement of the anti-violence network in the promotion of increasingly qualified and effective actions to raise awareness, prevent and combat violence against women. The signatories of the prior agreements, namely the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Government Commissariat for the Province of Trento, the Prosecutor’s Offices of Trento and Rovereto, the Consortium of Trentino Municipalities, the University of Trento and the Trento Province Healthcare System, have confirmed their commitment. The Memorandum also includes specific tasks in connection with research and technology innovation to protect women who suffer violence, the creation of an inter-institutional group for the protection of high-risk victims of violence, and collaboration on monitoring data and anti-violence services.

“Through the renewal and expansion of this agreement,” President of the Autonomous Province of Trento Maurizio Fugatti explained, “we want to strengthen the shared data collection system, awareness raising and training of all those who, for various reasons, may be involved in cases of violence against women. Only by joining forces can we fight these cases. The signing of the memorandum, attended by Health Councillor Mario Tonina and Stefania Segnana, the competent councillor in the past administration, was an opportunity to take stock of the actions put in place in recent years. “I would like to remind you,” President Fugatti stressed, “that starting this month we have activated two new important services financed with provincial resources: a new Housing Service for women victims of violence, with a secret address (Casa Rifugio), and a new Anti-Violence Center, with main headquarters in Rovereto and two peripheral offices in Cavalese and Cles.  In addition, the new service called Center for Men Offenders, also funded with provincial resources, has been operational as of October 1, 2023. These efforts reflect the ongoing commitment of local institutions in combating a phenomenon that is both complex and widespread.”

“I would like to express my deep appreciation for the renewal of this greement,” Filippo Santarelli, Government Commissioner for the Province of Trento, said. “For more than 10 years, this Memorandum has been an important element in monitoring and combating violence. It provides us with a key framework for analyzing and evaluating the development of this problem. I am convinced of the importance of the work and relevance of law enforcement in this matter,” Santarelli added. “The protection and intervention network is widening, showing the need to expand it further to ensure a safe future for women and their children and strive to convince women victims of violence to come out and report.”

“I want to emphasize the virtuosity of our province, the efficiency of the government commissioner and the valuable contribution of APSS with its dedicated professionals,” Sandro Raimondi, chief prosecutor at the Trento District Court, said. “Thanks to the protocol we have started an interinstitutional team to maximize positive results.  It is important to focus on concrete facts: Trentino is a concrete land and we must act with determination rather than just words. We must be able to tell women that they are not alone.”

Orietta Canova, Chief Public Prosecutor at the Court of Rovereto, expressed gratitude for being able to work in this area that offers opportunities and possibilities to collaborate effectively.  “Since I arrived,” Canova explained, “I have tried to immerse myself in the local reality and learn about its challenges. Currently, I am finalizing the definition of a new project, and the protection of victims of violence is among the current priorities. I will continue to engage directly in investigative activities and be a point of reference for the local communities.  The Rovereto office is ready to give its best, but I concede that the fight against abuse is a vast issue that requires everyone’s commitment. ” My door will always be open for those who need support and collaboration.”

“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed so far,” said Giulia Robol, regent mayor of Rovereto and representative of the Consortium of Municipalities.  “We appreciate the efficiency and competence of law enforcement, as well as the focus on prevention and the cultural pathway underlying this fight.  I thank the Province for funding non-judgmental but supportive places in Trentino, such as the new Anti-Violence Center in Rovereto. We must continue to work hard, but with determination, to build a strong network and conduct constant analysis.”

In his speech, University of Trento Chancellor Flavio Deflorian emphasized that “gender-based violence is not an individual problem, but a complex cultural and social issue that needs, in order to be countered, a comprehensive strategy and multiple actions.  The memorandum of understanding signed today goes in this direction because it involves and engages numerous institutions in the area. The University of Trento, which has always been in the front line against all forms of discrimination and violence, intends to be a decisive actor of change and will play its part, participating in the Steering Committee and contributing to greater knowledge of the problem.”

“I like to emphasize,” highlighted the director of social and health integration of the Provincial Health Services Authority Elena Bravi, who was present together with APSS Director Antonio Ferro, “the high ethical and social value of the protocol in preventing and countering gender-based violence in the province of Trento. As Healthcare System, we have signed this memorandum since 2016 because we firmly believe that working on prevention in a collaborative and multidisciplinary way can significantly affect this social scourge. I am also convinced that the continued expansion of the institutions involved can give further momentum to combating the issue.  Under this agreement, as Apss, we collaborate not only in the collection of health and human services data, training, drafting Guidelines for health workers and participating in inter-institutional meetings, but we also contribute significantly to the application of the so-called “Code Red,” thanks above all to the active collaboration of our Psychology Department”.

New signatories
The new emorandum sees new signatories. In particular, the Trento Police Headquarters and the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri will commit to specify and qualify the action of support and protection of high-risk women victims of violence through the operation of a specific multidisciplinary working group.

Trento Police Commisioner Maurizio Improta remarked that law enforcement has always been present as “they are the first to come into contact with suffering.  The Memorandum signed today, with the official involvement of the police headquarters, represents a strengthening of the protection and intervention network against violence. Today we are pooling data in a virtuous mechanism that allows us to make a more detailed analysis of cases through tools that we do not have but that thanks to the network formalized by this memorandum we can use. Without collaboration and a shared approach, our work in this area would not even be conceivable.”

The provincial commander of the Carabinieri of Trento, Colonel Matteo Ederle, stressed the importance of the work done in collaboration with all the authorities involved in the management of violence, a commitment that law enforcement agencies have always carried out in the case of the Carabinieri all the way to small communities thanks to the widespread presence of Carabinieri stations: “Today, there is greater sensitivity to this issue and we are grateful to have so many allies.  We recognize the value of the existing synergies and opportunities in Trentino.  I therefore extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who join us in this important mission.”

The Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione, thanks to its members, has a widespread presence in the local area and can therefore effectively carry out activities to promote, raise awareness, train, and support women who have suffered violence. “Trentino’s cooperation makes its contribution with determination,” said Deputy Vice President of Cooperazione Trentina Italo Monfredini, “as we are aware of a necessary engagement of the cooperative community to stem, and if possible in perspective defeat, gender-based violence, one of the alarming data of our time. It is also one of the most hateful kind of violence, which we are witnessing with all the institutions. We have been called – the only association of businesses – precisely because of the particular capillary role that Cooperazione Trentina plays within the community.”

Finally, ondazione Bruno Kessler, represented by Secretary General Andrea Simoni and FBK’s Digital Health & Wellbeing Center’s scientific outreach manager Silvia Gabrielli, will work to increase research activities on violence against women from an innovative perspective and translate research results into technology applications useful for the protection of women.”This signing,” Gabrielli explained, “also represents an opportunity for FBK to provide its innovative systems developed in the field of healthcare and, through collaboration with the authorities and other organizations involved, develop advanced solutions that can contribute to the protection and well-being of women victims of violence. We are determined to use our experience and resources to create a positive and lasting impact in the fight against gender-based violence.”

A network of services and interventions that is getting stronger and stronger
In Trentino, the fight against gender-based violence encompasses a series of services and interventions aimed at ensuring protection, care and support for women victims of violence.
In this context, the Anti-Violence Centers (CAVs) emerge as key pillars in the support network, offering assistance and counseling to women experiencing violence, with two main branches in Trento and Rovereto and two peripheral reference points in Cavalese and Cles.
Alongside these, the Housing Services for Women Victims of Violence (Case rifugio) with undisclosed address, with two facilities in the area, provide a safe haven for women and their children.
In addition, there is the Service Center for Men Offenders, which as of October 1, 2023 has been fully funded by provincial resources on a ermanent basis. The service, in the Trento and Rovereto locations, offers men who are perpetrators of violence against women pathways aimed at changing their
behavior. Finally, the Self-Determination Allowance, established as of April 1, 2022, represents a financial intervention aimed at supporting the autonomy of women victims of violence. Managed by the Autonomous Province of Trento through Apapi, this allowance offers a monthly financial contribution intended for women who suffer violence, with the aim of providing financial support throughout their pathway of emancipation and construction of an independent life.