Gender Based Violence and Institutional Violence Against Women

The objective of the proposal is to highlight how the escape paths from gender-based violence are crossed by institutional violence and how such experiences serve as obstacles to the processes of awareness of rights and freedoms. The research conducted on anti-violence centers in Italy reveals a diversification of forms of violence experienced or perceived by women, shedding light on a complex picture of formal and informal relationships. Women who live in situations of violence are marked by stereotypes and prejudices that influence and sometimes condition their choice to break free. These stereotypes are evident in their relationships with local social services, whose involvement has often focused on mediation and conciliation, giving less importance to women's lives.

The same dynamics can be observed in access to reporting (lawsuits), where, even today, the lack of training among police officers leads to an institutional reception steeped in role expectations and prejudices that too often undermine women's testimonies. The court trial, particularly concerning the actions and words of lawyers and judges, still represents a space for secondary victimization, using language, phrases, and references that blame women, making them even more vulnerable. All this, as constructed in the public debate, poses an obstacle to the very process of seeking justice, demotivating women from undertaking a difficult path. Furthermore, institutional violence results in a lack of access to rights, in a cause-and-effect relationship that translates into complex bureaucratic activities, even over the long term. What is intended to be shared is, therefore, the declination of male violence against women in institutional forms that perpetuate power dynamics: institutions are still predominantly male, which perpetuates positions that are too closely tied to imagery, stereotypes, and prejudices against women.