Lwinter is upon us. But to make the upcoming season darker than usual, with already evident effects, is the energy crisis. Which is weighing on the budget of many Italian families, but also of many local authorities. While they were awaiting the provisions on the matter from the new government, many municipal administrations were therefore forced to also reduce public lighting to contain consumption and save on bills. But the consequences are not only on an aesthetic level. In the dark, the possibility of assaults and harassment on the street grows exponentially.
Municipalities remain “in the dark” to save money
Small town halls, such as for example Molfetta, in the province of Bari, e Village, in the province of Treviso, they are aiming to switch off shop signs and halve the lighting of street lamps. TO Gizzeriain Calabria, have opted for it immediate and experimental shutdown of public lighting from one to 6 in the morning. From North to South, there are many Municipalities that have decided to remain “in the dark” in less busy hours to reduce the impact of energy costs.
Someone winks at innovationsuch as the Municipalities of Palermo And Binasco that will replace the street lamps with LED lights. In Florence, savings could come thanks to self-powered lighting from solar panels or bicycle rides. But to opt for extreme measures are also large cities, including Turin that does not illuminate monuments, bridges and church facades during the nightAnd Milan which, from the end of October, reduced street lighting by one hour a day.
The protection of women’s safety
Concern about energy costs cannot leave another fear in the shadows: that for the safety of citizens, especially women, who are more exposed to aggression and harassment on the street when it is dark. The solution, on the part of associations and institutions, is first of all to join forces with technology.
Colorful Defocused Lights of City at Night High Angle View.
At the forefront, to try to make walking down the street without fear a right for everyone, there is Laura De Dilectis, founder of the project Donnexstrada. The association set up by the young Roman psychologist, supported by a team of volunteers, has created a range of “assistance” services: mapping of dangerous roads, establishment of suspended taxi service – also sponsored by the Municipalities of Trento, Bologna, Milan, Modena and Ferrara -, creation of Purple dotsie premises, pharmacies or “safe points” that adhere to the initiative and where a woman who walks home at night can find shelter if she perceives that she is being followed or feels in danger.
Donnexstrada’s commitment
«We left in 2021 from Rome, our city: so many women who have used the services have contacted us and we have aroused so much interest, that now they call us various Municipalities, with which we are discussing to identify the areas where it is necessary to intervene to ensure greater safety» explains De Dilectis.
Their flagship service is Direttaxstrada: just send a message on the Instagram page Violawalkhome and agree time and language to be accompanied on the way through a video call.
The initiative has crossed national borders. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Spain are the countries where, in addition to Italy, the consolidated service is operational project Violawalkhome which will soon become an app as well. Meanwhile, from Friday 25 November, the service will be promoted by docuseries in 10 episodes #Write to me when you get home of channel 119 of Sky.
Apps and shops friends
Self Donnexstrada has led the way, this year the services to contain the danger are multiplying. The association Soroptmist promoted the application Shaw which, with a simple tap on the mobile phone screen, immediately alerts 112 or 1522. The project True Securitycurrently active in 20 Italian cities, in collaboration with the State Police and a network of public establishments associated with Fipe Confcommercio, has transformed the adherent establishments into safe addresses for single women on the street. Also join theItalian Association of Public Games Operators (EGP) that makes game rooms and bingo halls with safety features with properly trained staff to recognize the signs of potential harassment or gender-based violence and immediately report it to law enforcement through the app YouPol.
Heather, the app promoted by the Piedmont Region it guarantees peace of mind for those who want, or need to, move around the less illuminated areas of the city. The function “Follow me” allows you to send your geolocation, if you do not reach your destination at the scheduled time. While with the function “SOS” you can send a request for help, in case of danger, to three pre-registered numbers.
Practical and political solutions
“We must make our voices heard by asking concrete actions and measures to reduce episodes of violence and harassment, especially in this period» continues the founder of Donnexstradaillustrating On the same road – Free not brave, the awareness project against violence against women – promoted together with theAssociation Nectar by Martina Maccari.
In the perspective of designing cities on a woman scale and therefore that they guarantee greater safety for all, he organized this autumn night walks, of about 16 km, in the cities of Turin, Milan and Bologna, and Rome. «Together with varied groups of women, we walked through streets deemed dangerous and dark alleys of the cities. It’s a political action », she adds.
Risk prevention
It is also committed to road safety Paula de CaroWingTsun master, a style of Kungfu aimed at self defense, which promote the campaign Become a #HardTarget. «In addition to self-defense courses in Rome, I also organize online risk prevention coursespromoting a set of rules and precautions to manage or avoid dangerous situations» he explains, emphasizing that learning to defend yourself is a plus, but it’s not a guarantee, it doesn’t make women superheroes.
These activities fall under the project We are sure which also includes an app of the same name, designed with the agency Kulta, that it works through buttons of different colors: the red, if pressed, emits a deafening sound and a light signal capable of capturing the attention of passers-by. The blue button, on the other hand, initiates an emergency call to the selected number, the orange one sends a pre-set text message with a request for help. “Awaiting institutional measures, all that remains is to be aware of the risk and try to prevent it» comments de Caro, as he confides the habit of looking at one’s shadow when walking down the street in the evening.
iO Woman © REPRODUCTION RESERVED