A memorandum of understanding signed between the State Police, Fipe-Confcommercio and the Fipe Women Entrepreneurs Group for a trial in 20 cities

A memorandum of understanding was signed today between the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of the State Police, the Italian Federation of Public Businesses - Fipe-Confcommercio and the Fipe-Confcommercio Women Entrepreneurs Group, represented, respectively, by the Prefect Francesco Messina, by President Lino Enrico Stoppani and the President Valentina Picca Bianchi.

The purpose of the protocol is to promote training, information and awareness-raising initiatives, at a local level, suitable for spreading knowledge and in-depth analysis of the issues relating to gender-based violence and the tools for the protection of victims, including measures to prevent Quaestor and the emergency response devices adopted by the State Police.

The agreement was born from the common need to increase the levels of safety of women, identifying new and effective ways to spread the culture of gender, in the wake already traced with the campaign of the State Police "This is not love", active since 2016 , reaching more and more women not only in the private sphere but also in the workplace and in public places.

Incisive methods of disseminating gender culture will be developed, also promoting it within public establishments with initiatives aimed at both female staff and customers, in order to contribute to increasing the safety levels of people and of the businesses themselves, within the framework of updated prevention strategies for illegal or dangerous events connected to forms of gender-based violence, as defined by art. 3 of the 2001 Istanbul Convention.

The planning of meetings, training and dissemination conferences, awareness-raising initiatives, from today until 2023, will see the entrepreneurs associated with FIPE and the State Police involved together in the campaign called #sicurezzaVera.

After an initial experimental phase on 20 cities, the model will be extended to all public establishments that have always represented the largest territorial network of culture, sociality and tradition present in Italy: 1 public establishment for every 250 inhabitants, 1 bar for every 400 inhabitants .

Vera, from the Germanic word for protection, is the name of a Woman. It is a strong, decisive, determined name that every woman can identify with: "I am Vera, Every woman is Vera". Vera is also an exclamation: I am Vera when I am #safe.

Vera is a new, aware and confident woman.

The 'real security' campaign is underway, public establishments as legal safeguards against gender-based violence