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ABUSE IN THE FAMILY

A series of repeated behaviors carried out by the abuser towards a person in the family or in any case cohabitant (even in an unstable manner), or a person subject to his authority (for example for work reasons), or entrusted to him for educational reasons education, supervision, custody, exercise of a profession or an art (for example the scholastic relationship between the teacher and the pupil), which may consist of beatings, insults, threats, abuse, humiliation, acts of contempt and offense to dignity, aimed at causing a systematic oppression of the victim, so as to make his life and existence particularly painful.
The criminal case does not only protect individuals belonging to a family nucleus, but all victims of ill-treatment who suffer such an affront from a subject with whom they have a personal, continuous and habitual relationship.
In the case of domestic violence, the mistreatment by one parent against the other is considered and punished as violence even on minor children who witness such violence (so-called indirect or witnessed violence).

OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE RESULTING FROM TRADITIONAL PRACTICES HARMFUL TO WOMEN

• FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
• FEMALE INFANTICIDE and PRENATAL SEXUAL SELECTION
• EARLY MARRIAGE
• FORCED MARRIAGE
• VIOLENCES RELATED TO THE DOWRY
• CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN COMMITTED “IN HONOR”
• MISTREATMENT OF WIDOWS
• TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

“REVENGE PORN”

ILLECIT DISSEMINATION OF SEXUALITY EXPLICIT IMAGES OR VIDEOS

It is the crime committed by anyone who – after having made, stolen, received or acquired them – sends, delivers, transfers, publishes or disseminates images or videos of sexual organs or sexually explicit content, without the consent of the persons represented.
The crime is punished upon complaint by the offended person to be filed within the term of six months. Proceed ex officio if the facts are committed to the detriment of a person in physical or mental inferiority or to the detriment of a pregnant woman.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE

SEXUAL VIOLENCE is defined as any sexual activity with a person who is unwilling or unable to consent to the sexual act.
Sexual assault is a very generic term that includes different behaviors such as:
• rape (even if the perpetrator is the partner or husband)
• any unwanted sexual contact
• unwelcome exposure of a naked body and exhibitionism and voyeurism
• the sexual abuse of a minor
• incest
• sexual harassment
• sexual acts on clients or employees perpetrated by therapists, doctors, dentists, bosses, colleagues or other professionals.
Sexual violence is an ACT OF POWER and physical force or threats are not always used against the victim, because violence can be very subtle (as in the case in which the perpetrator uses his physicality or social status to frighten or manipulate the victim).
The offense can be prosecuted upon complaint by the injured party (irrevocable) to be filed within one year of the fact.

STALKING

Persecution that manifests itself through a series of threatening or harassing behaviors (for example, stalking, stalking at home, raids on the workplace, phone calls in the middle of the night, messages, persecution through social networks), which provoke the person who suffers them one or more of the following damages:

• severe and persistent state of anxiety or fear
• well-founded fear for one’s own safety or that of one’s loved ones
• forced to change one’s life habits.

Before filing a complaint, the victim can ask for the SUPERVISOR’S WARNING to be adopted, which consists of a warning to the persecutor to refrain from committing further acts of harassment and allows for measures to be taken to withdraw weapons.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Sticky Post

is the manifestation of a historical disparity in the balance of power between men and women which has led to the domination of men over women, to discrimination against them and has prevented real progress in the status of women. Violence against women means all acts of violence based on the female sex which cause or are likely to cause physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering, including threats of such acts, arbitrary restraint or deprivation of liberty, whether they occur in private or public life.

UN definition 1993

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN ITALY

RATIFICATION OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION

The Istanbul Convention of 2011 recognizes that

Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between the sexes, which have led to the domination of and discrimination against women by men and prevented their full emancipation

and therefore places among its objectives that of

help eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and promote concrete equality between the sexes, including by strengthening women’s autonomy and self-determination.

In 2013, Italy ratified the Istanbul Convention, defining violence against women as a VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS and a FORM OF DISCRIMINATION, making a concrete commitment to prevent and combat the phenomenon.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

…any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, psychological or sexual harm or suffering to a woman, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, occurring during her lifetime public or private.

DEFINITION OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE ADOPTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 1993

Violence against women is the manifestation of a HISTORICAL DISPARITY IN THE RELATIONSHIP OF FORCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, which has led to the DOMINATION of men over women and to DISCRIMINATION against them, and has prevented real progress in the condition of women.

THE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP AND THE ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

A healthy relationship is distinguished from an abusive relationship, above all by the existence of a dialectical symmetry between the partners.
In fact, conflict is present in every relationship, in the absence of violence, two people who are in conflict but are in a situation of equal power, can freely compare their positions.
When there is violence, we always find a person who prevails and imposes his will, precisely through the use of violence, and another who succumbs.
(control power wheel and non-violence wheel)

MY BILL OF RIGHT

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  • I have the right to say no
  • I have the right not to be bullied
  • I have the right to express anger
  • I have the right to change my life
  • I have the right to be free from fear
  • I have the right to want a better model of communication with my children/parents
  • I have the right to let my children live in safety conditions
  • I have the right to be treated like an adult and with respect
  • I have the right to leave the violent environment
  • I have the right to be safe
  • I have the right to privacy
  • I have the right to develop my talents and skills
  • I have the right to earn and control my finances
  • I have the right to make my own decisions for my life
  • I have the right to change my mind
  • I have the right to be believed and valued
  • I have the right to make mistakes
  • I have the right not to be perfect
  • I have the right to love and to be reciprocated
  • I have the right to put myself at the first port
  • I have the right to be myself

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Sito a cura di UnivPM in collaborazione con Donne e Giustizia