I don’t dance alone
Unipol Group’s initiatives to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Today in Florence, a new red bench in Piazza della Libertà
The red bench is a symbol adopted by the Unipol Group to exemplify its commitment to spreading a culture of defending women from hateful and unfortunately still common gender violence. This morning, Benedetta Albanese, Councillor for equal rights and opportunities and urban safety of the Municipality of Florence, and Enrico San Pietro, Unipol Gruppo Insurance General Manager, inaugurated a new red bench near the Florence headquarters of the insurance company, in Piazza della Libertà.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, CUBO - the Unipol Group’s corporate museum - with the patronage of the Municipality of Florence, organised Non Ballo da Sola (I Don’t Dance Alone) for the fifth year running, a programme of initiatives and events that invites the public to reflect on this topical issue.
The day was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 1999, based on the assumption that violence against women is a human rights violation. Even today, a large number of women in Italy continue to fall victim to violence, while violence against women in the workplace remains a widespread problem. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 80 femicides occurred in Italy in the first nine months of 2023, with 65 women killed in a family or emotional environment and 41 of these by partners or ex-partners.
The bench, red like the colour of blood, bears the phrase “Love generates love and not violence” and 1522, a toll-free number that victims of abuse and stalking can call to request help and support. This bench follows the first one inaugurated in 2019 in the Porta Europa gardens in Bologna, the second inaugurated in 2020 in Piazza della Torre Unipol in Bologna, the third inaugurated in 2021 at THE DAP - Dei Missaglia Art Park in Milan, and the fourth in Galleria San Federico in Turin, all realised in collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Unipol Group’s insurance sector and the Libellula Foundation.
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