Italian writers united against gender violence

In Italy in 2023, 118 women were killed by their partners, ex-partners and family members. But feminicides are only the tip of the iceberg of a system of oppression and violence that still widely affects Italian women. According to Istat data, one in three women has suffered violence during her life: harassment, rape, psychological violence. But every time a brutal episode hits the front pages of the newspapers, there is talk of “love”, “jealousy”, “raptus”, “honour”. Often women who are victims of violence are blamed and re-victimized through inappropriate language, despite decades of battles, female protagonism and a culture that has been trying to give speech and voice back to women for at least 150 years.

After the femicide of Giulia Cecchettin in the Tuba bookshop in Rome there was a public and collective reading of the book written by the Mexican Cristina Rivera Garzadedicated to the feminicide of her sister Liliana which occurred more than 30 years ago in Mexico City, Liliana’s invincible summer (SUR, 2023). Following that meeting, a group of women writers was formed who will conduct a literary action in 2024 to keep attention high on the issue and represent all the aspects of gender violence in exact words.

More than fifty Italian writers and journalists in dozens of newspapers that have joined the initiative will talk about gender violence with articles and stories. Each will use their voice and the most suitable words to describe a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, mostly tolerated by society. It is important that this topic does not remain confined to places of culture, but enters the most obscure homes, reaches women who today believe they are alone, communicates with parents and teachers who accompany the growth of boys and girls, with men who still treat women like objects and can’t stand their freedom.

Until March 3, for two months Italian women writers will occupy the newspapers to talk about men’s violence against women. On March 4, 2024, an evening of reading articles in support of literary action will be held at the Manzoni Theater in Rome, and further events are taking place in other Italian cities.

The writers who have, to date, joined the call are:

Monica Acito, Silvia Avallone, Simona Baldelli, Daria Bignardi, Paola Bono, Maria Grazia Calandrone, Annalisa Camilli, Giulia Caminito, Rossana Campo, Loretta Cavaricci, Paola Cereda, Teresa Ciabatti, Giulia Ciarapica, Antonella Cilento, Francesca Coin, Donatella Di Pietrantonio, Valentina Farinaccio, Veronica Galletta and Livia Del Gaudio, Daniela Gambaro, Chiara Gamberale, Ilaria Gaspari, Anna G. Dato, Irene Graziosi, Antonella Lattanzi, Loredana Lipperini, Maristella Lippolis, Francesca Maccani, Laura Mancini, Francesca Manfredi, Gaia Manzini, Annalisa Marinelli , Titti Marrone, Michela Marzano, Laura Marzi, Chiara Mezzalama, Valentina Mira, Paola Moretti, Greta Olivo, Ilaria Palomba, Melissa Panarello, Carmen Pellegrino, Marta Perego, Romana Petri, Sandra Petrignani, Letizia Pezzali, Valentina Pigmei, Lorenza Pieri, Rosella Postorino, Tea Ranno, Elvira Seminara, Chiara Sfregola, Raffaella Silvestri, Lorena Spampinato, Chiara Tagliaferri, Nadia Tarantini, Giuseppina Torregrossa, Alice Urciolo, Maddalena Vaglio Tanet, Caterina Venturini, Giovanna Cristina Vivinetto, Anna Voltaggio.