Centro Veneto Progetti Donna
Centro Veneto Progetti Donna is a volunteer association founded in Padua in 1990 by a group of women. The association supports women who are in difficult situations and experiencing violence or abuse, whether it’s from family members or not.
For thirty-five years, the Center’s dedicated team members have welcomed women daily, listened to their stories, and given them psychological and legal support if needed. In cases of violence and abuse, the goal is to support women facing difficulties and to encourage personal growth, focusing on each woman, her needs, and her experiences. The Center is a place where women can find a listening ear, care, respect, and support.
Centro Veneto Progetti Donna works extensively throughout the Province of Padua. It manages 5 Gender-Based Violence Support Centers in the province and 8 help desks, including Marielle desk for young women aged 18 to 25, and Lesvìa – the anti-violence helpline for lesbian and bisexual women and trans people. It also runs 5 shelters that provide accommodation for women and children.
Since 1990, the Center has welcomed 12,976 women. In recent years, there’s been a constant increase in requests for help. This is a positive sign, meaning more women are recognizing earlier the violence they’re experiencing.
Recognizing that violence against women is a widespread social issue with cultural roots – stemming from an unequal power dynamic between men and women that leads to imbalance, financial and emotional dependence, and social isolation – Centro Veneto Progetti Donna is also committed to prevention. It offers children and young people examples of equal and respectful relationships, independence, and self-fulfillment, promoting the overcoming of prejudice and stereotypical gender roles.
For this reason, in collaboration with Rel.azioni Positive Cooperative, the Center organizes educational programs aimed at promoting a culture of respect for differences in relationships between women and men, and at educating on emotions and relationships. These programs are for various groups:
- The educational community: This includes anyone involved in educating children and young people, such as teachers, parents, educators, babysitters, psychologists, social workers, family members (aunts, uncles, grandparents), sports coaches, and religious leaders.
- Schools: As central places for growth and development, schools can offer everyone information and opportunities to reflect on equality, respect, and combating violence.
- Young people: Those interested in improving their skills and knowledge about gender equality, the responsible use of digital media, combating violence against women, and building positive relationships.
Each year, over 1,000 young people outside of school are reached, and throughout the years, about 1,200 teachers, principals, parents, and educators have received training.
Centro Veneto Progetti Donna is part of the national association D.i.Re – Donne in Rete contro la violenza, a group of 89 organizations across Italy. These organizations manage 117 Gender-Based Violence Support Centers and over 66 shelters, assisting around 23,000 women each year.
Rel.Azioni Positive Cooperative
Founded in 2017, Rel.Azioni Positive Cooperative builds on nearly 27 years of experience gained from its work with Centro Veneto Progetti Donna. The cooperative was established to meet a community need: to offer new and varied initiatives, activities, and services, all focused on preventing and tackling male violence against women.
In line with the mission of Centro Veneto Progetti Donna, the cooperative works to prevent all forms of violence against women and their children. It does so through an integrated, effective, and professional approach, developing new intervention methods. These methods aim to reduce the risk of recurrence and enable quick action even in less obvious cases of violence, such as serious couple conflicts or general relational difficulties.
The Cooperative also offers business training programs designed to prevent gender-based violence in the workplace. These programs, customized for companies, deeply explore the cultural and social roots of male violence against women. They provide practical tools to understand the issue and encourage reflection on how gender-based violence negatively impacts well-being, safety, and productivity within the work environment.
Additionally, the Cooperative manages the Gender-Based Violence Support Center of Chioggia (VE) and 2 shelter homes that provide refuge for women and minors.