Numa, ‘stones’ against violence against women: awards for Roia, Melandri, Fiscale, Lugli and Casa delle donne
At the Teatro de’ Servi, Lefebvre Giuffrè presents awards to those who make a difference in the fight against abuse, discrimination and prejudice
Key points
- Spotlight on the orphans of femicide
- The President of the Constitutional Court was also in the audience
A multitude of sectors coming together to shout “enough” to violence against women: from the right to freedom of association, through sport and journalism, to the business world. The first stage of the ongoing initiative “Numa – A Stone Among Stones” promoted on 10 June by Lefebvre Giuffrè in a packed Teatro de’ Servi in Rome, with the aim of creating a permanent space for reflection, in-depth analysis and discussion on the major issues affecting contemporary civil society.
Recognise to combat
It is no coincidence that the decision was made to begin with violence against women, one of the most insidious and pervasive scourges of our time—affecting people across all social classes, levels of education and income—despite the undeniable progress made in terms of legislation and rights. For this reason, as explained on stage by Antonio Delfino, head of external and institutional relations at the publishing house, the idea behind Lefebvre Giuffrè – with CEO Stefano Garisto — was to ‘recognise’, which is also the key verb for defeating abuse and discrimination: to see them, without downplaying them, without dismissing them as a ‘conflict’ between equals, without concealing them. To recognise those who have made and continue to make a difference.
Judge Fabio Roia: ‘We must do even more; we must be wary of taking steps backwards’
Five names have been selected by the Organising Committee, coordinated by Marco Ruotolo, Professor of Constitutional Law at Roma Tre University, from a shortlist of proposals put forward by the Thematic Committee led by Manuela Perrone, a journalist at *Il Sole 24 Ore*. In the Law category, the award – a work created using a cobblestone by the artist Enrico Marcato – was presented to Fabio Roia, President of the Court of Milan, a magistrate and scholar who has been committed for years to issues concerning the protection of women and the fight against gender-based violence. Roia wished to highlight the progress made, but also to warn of the delays. ‘The problem of violence is not solved by trials, obviously, but by doing enough, even more than we are doing: in everyday life, with the involvement of men, with men having to act as social watchdogs. Because I believe we are taking steps forward, but also backward.’ The magistrate cites two examples: the advice shared on social media by the President of the Piedmont Regional Council, Davide Nicco (“When you receive a woman you don’t know in your office, if you are alone, always leave the door open. You never know”), and the collapse of the political agreement on the bill that introduced the factor of the absence of free and current consent to define the offence of rape.
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Kenny (International Women’s House): ‘A unique space built from the ground up’
In the Social Commitment category, the award was presented to the International Women’s House in Rome, a historic institution within the Italian women’s movement and a leading voice in the promotion of women’s rights, culture and policies. The award was collected by the Casa’s new president Barbara Leda Kenny. “I am taking on an important legacy,” she said, “and I am delighted to represent the Casa di tutte here today. On 2 October, it will be fifty years since the feminist occupation of Palazzo Nardini in Via del Governo Vecchio: the Casa was born out of a movement and an act of rebellion. Over the years, women have had the collective strength to reclaim that space time and again. I thank all the women who believed in that space and defended it: a common good of the city, a political infrastructure self-managed by 28 feminist associations. An institution built from the ground up, and in this sense a unique place.”
Former volleyball player Lara Lugli: ‘Every stone is crucial to building a road’
In the Arts, Sport and Entertainment category, the award was presented to Lara Lugli, a former volleyball player, member of the Assist association – the National Association of Female Athletes – and the central figure in a story that helped spark public debate on the rights of female athletes and maternity protection in sport. When she decided to go public with the injustice she faced as a pregnant athlete, ‘I felt like a stumbling block’, she said on stage. “Because when a system operates unchallenged, and certain unjust practices are accepted as normal, standing out becomes necessary. And sometimes it is also necessary to jolt people’s consciences, to make them pause, to force them to look at what they would prefer to ignore.”
