25 November: Coop says no to violence against women, supporting the anti-violence number 1522

The November 25th and the International day for the elimination of violence against women. As long as a problem still needs a day with which to raise awareness on the subject, then it means that we are far from having solved it.

Unfortunately the topic of violence against women it is still as relevant as ever. Data in hand, they are 1600 women victims of violence welcomed in the first nine months of 2022 by Difference Womana women’s organization based in Rome founded in 1989, with the mission of bringing to light, combating, preventing gender-based violence and all social problems affecting women’s lives, which manages on behalf of Equal Opportunities Department of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers the anti-violence number 1522 – free and active 24 hours a day -, with a group of 30 professionals including operators, lawyers and linguistic-cultural mediators adequately specialized in gender-based violence.

About the number 1522, in the first quarter of the year have been 12,270 calls you arrive; between these almost 3000 people who have sought help for themselves and who have experienced various forms of violence. Although the figure is quarterly, it is in line with the numbers for 2020 and 2021, also conditioned by a pandemic effect which resulted in a further increase in requests for information and help. The growth of contacts has also occurred through the chat channel with a 71% increase (data 2021 out of 2020); in fact, the chat appears to be a simpler and more immediate method that has been added to the telephone number.

To support these initiatives and to continue to raise awareness on the issue of gender-based violence, Coop has launched an impressive information campaign: on the shelves of the brand’s stores, they will be about 2 million packs of UHT milk on sale Coop-branded (the quantity needed to cover one month of sales) with the National Anti-Violence and Stalking Number 1522 clearly visible.

The first product of the Coop campaign will be followed up other 15 references, to cover the labels of around 1,000 Coop-branded products by the end of 2023. The number 1522 will be well imprinted too on the receipts issued at the tills of Coop points of sale and more on stickers affixed to toilet doors and pictures on trolleys in some pilot outlets.

«Give the right information on the service performed since 1522 is the basis of the fight against all forms of violence – he commented Monica Lucarelli, Councilor for Security Policies, Equal Opportunities and Productive Activities of Rome Capital, during the project presentation conference – We want to reiterate it strongly and forcefully disseminate this service as much as possible. The agreement with companies such as Coop and local Productive Activities are an extension of the dissemination of the services that anti-violence centers and associations put in place every day for women ».

«The widespread presence of our stores means that we can put that 1,522 who they could call in case of need before the eyes of a very large number of women – he observes Laura LatiniChief Executive Officer of Coop Italia – We will apply it from now on under the nutritional label of our products and it is not a random choice but motivated by the fact that all the research in our possession tells us that women are the most careful when examining labels. At the same time, with the milk, the signs, the stickers, we want to sensitize all those who come to do the shopping, so that everyone can reflect on the fact that in a civil and democratic society like ours, the figures reached by violence on women every year are intolerable. And they shouldn’t happen again.”

Together with the milk, one will also be donated themed canvas baglimited edition, signed by the illustrator Diana Ejaitathe proceeds of which will be donated in part to the Differenza Donna Association, which Coop chooses to support at a national level.

“Thinking that an excellence of large-scale distribution such as Coop, with its network of 6 million and 700 thousand members, is committed to spreading the 1522 is important news for us – he says Elisa ErcoliPresident of Difference Woman Aps – Il national anti-violence number and stalking of the Presidency of the Council-DPO is one valuable tool and supports women on their way out of violence starting with a phone call to the toll-free number we manage. Making known the number means restore hope and access to the great work of anti-violence centers and put women in contact with the territorial network”.

But Difference Donna Aps will not be the only association supported by this campaign: the proceeds collected by individual consumer cooperatives on the sale of milk and other products will go to many associations and local bodies scattered throughout the national territory, which deal with welcoming and supporting women victims of violence, denouncing and combating the phenomenon of femicide and promote a culture of recognition and respect for human rights.

The donation goal for 2022 is over 200,000 eurosin line with the similar commitment that allowed us to sustain last year 101 organizations around which more than 5,500 women gravitated, in 12 Italian regions.

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