CISL FERRARA
#lacislconledonne
November 25, 2021
How long will we need a November 25th? How long will we be forced to demand justice, equal opportunities, economic equality, recognition of citizenship rights, choice, freedom, and above all, security? How long will we have to fight prejudice? This is the most demanding challenge and concerns everyone. As the Women's Coordination Committee, together with the CISL Secretariat of Ferrara, to underscore the importance of this day, we have chosen to re-release the video titled "How Were You Dressed?". Seven stories of women who have suffered violence and whose clothing had nothing to do with a man's criminal act. Going from victim to accomplice is equivalent to justifying an act that has no justification whatsoever.
The video has allowed us to use a communicative language capable of greater suggestions, capable, we hope, of forcing us to reflect, to review the our prejudices. The video will be made available on the Cisl Ferrara Facebook page and on the website www.cislferrara.it from 12.01am on November 25th and we ask everyone to share it with the writing #lacislconledonne.
In addition to the video, the Ferrara Pensioners' Federation, in collaboration with the Regional FNP, has prepared a Red Bench to be placed near our offices: this too is a symbolic object. So that the image becomes a reminder, a spur to not turn away, to not give in to indifference, to stand on the right side.
Knowing that violence can be fought with culture and the right words, we, along with the School Category, commissioned a specialized organization to produce a video for teachers registered with CISL, to provide some insights on managing conflicts between students.
This is a first step we hope to continue, helping to create a culture of nonviolence, starting in schools.
These are the initiatives of November 25, 2021, but the CISL has already been running a support center for many years, addressing issues of "Work-Related Stress and Harassment in the Workplace," managed by Dr. Cristina Biancardi. The experience gained over the years demonstrates how the workplace can also be a site of psychological and economic violence—another front on which to engage and take concrete action.
Over the course of these 5 years, just under 200 people have turned to the help desk for the 73% women (The 27% men) and concentrated more in the age groups 45-54 55-65 years.
The 70% He asked for support especially for:
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relationship problems with bosses and colleagues
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professional insulation
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verbal assaults especially from those responsible
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harassing conduct
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burnout
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demotion
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verbal assaults by customers
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discrimination.
The main form of distress is verbal violence perpetrated by bosses and colleagues, which is the most easily reported because it is particularly exasperating, while physical violence, experienced within the home, even when verbalized, is not subsequently investigated further.
Furthermore, while verbal violence is suffered by both women and men (although to a lesser extent), physical violence is suffered mostly by women, who seem to accept it with resignation or tolerate it for economic reasons.
Sexual harassment, on the other hand, is always kept quiet either out of shame, or fear, or, worse, because it is considered less serious than other seriously harassing behaviors.
Unfortunately, in some cases of workplace issues, the perpetrators of violence were a woman or several women, targeting female colleagues and co-workers. This leads us to believe, once again, that violence is a problem of the culture of relationships, of organization, and of society, and therefore no one can be excluded from the commitment to combating it.
