NOVEMBER 25 WHAT MUST BE CHANGED IMMEDIATELY, INCLUDING FOR THE LOCAL POLICE - Laura Crapanzano - ETHICA SOCIETAS-Rivista di scienze umane e sociali

Remembering is not enough — change is needed. Now!

Abstract: November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, is a symbolic date that demands reflection on the contradictions and shortcomings of the current protection system. The secondary victimization that often forces women — and their children — to leave their homes, jobs, and loved ones while the aggressor remains in the family environment is unacceptable. A shift in perspective is therefore necessary: the perpetrator of violence must always and immediately be removed, strengthening restrictive measures and monitoring systems. It is also essential to grant local police forces, which play a fundamental role in combating gender-based violence, access to the SCUDO information system, an indispensable tool for timely interventions and for ensuring victims’ safety.

Keywords: #GenderBasedViolence #November25 #ViolenceAgainstWomen #WomenProtection #SecondaryVictimization #VictimSupport #EducationForRespect #CultureOfRespect #FightAgainstPatriarchy #DomesticViolence #VictimProtection #LocalPolice #SCUDOSystem #1522 #LauraCrapanzano #EthicaSocietas #ScientificJournal #ethicasocietasjournal #scientificreview #ethicasocietasupli

versione italiana

A recurrence that is anything but merely formal

November 25 represents, every year, a moment of reflection, remembrance, and collective responsibility. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, established by the UN in 1999, brings to light one of the deepest and most persistent wounds of our society: gender-based violence — physical, psychological, economic, and domestic — which continues to affect thousands of women, far too often in the silence of their own homes.

In Italy, institutional initiatives, awareness campaigns, and the work carried out by law enforcement agencies, anti-violence centers, and social services represent a constant commitment. But beyond statistics, protocols, and regulations, the stories remain: the stories of women who have had to fight twice — against violence and against a system that does not always truly protect them.

There is a question I ask myself more and more often, and which also emerges in discussions with other police forces and judicial offices: why is it still so often the woman who must leave her home, her children, her job, while the violent man remains free within the same walls where he exercised fear and control?

This mechanism, which creates a real form of secondary victimization, is one of the most painful contradictions of our protection system. A woman who finds the courage to report violence should never be forced to leave her life, her stability, or her loved ones.

The same applies to children, who far too often are forced to change schools, friends, routines, as though they were the ones who must “escape” — instead of the perpetrator of violence.

What must change immediately

We must reverse the perspective and modify current legislation.

It must not be the victim who is removed, but the aggressor.

Those who commit violence must be immediately taken out of the family context.

Those who destroy domestic peace must be removed from the home — not those who lived there peacefully.

Those who commit atrocious acts must face the consequences, not those who suffered them.

Only a system that truly protects victims, by swiftly and firmly removing the perpetrator, can prevent violence from continuing — or, worse, escalating.

Operational reality shows that tools such as house arrest or electronic monitoring bracelets, although provided for by law, often do not work as intended. This is not rhetoric: it is the daily experience of those who work on the ground.

The current system does not ensure effective monitoring of the aggressor. Electronic devices are not always applied, not always available, sometimes not monitored consistently, often malfunctioning, and can even be removed easily. And so, while on paper there appears to be a form of protection, in practice the victim may once again find herself in danger — just a few meters away from the person who threatens or stalks her.

For this reason, it is necessary to improve not only restrictive measures, but the entire monitoring system for violent offenders: a faster, more efficient, and safer model is needed.

The essential role of Local Police and access to the SCUDO system

Local Police forces are community-based agencies, those who work in direct contact with citizens, who know the territory, families, and fragile situations.

Yet, they do not have access to the SCUDO system, the digital platform that allows real-time access to reports, restraining measures, warnings issued by the Questore, ongoing procedures, and specific risks linked to violent individuals.

This is a critical weakness: it may happen that the victim is just around the corner and her aggressor only a few steps away, while the Local Police — unaware of the measures in place — cannot intervene with the required timeliness.

Allowing Local Police access to the SCUDO system means:

strengthening victims’ safety,
increasing prevention,
ensuring immediate interventions,
avoiding predictable tragedies.

Proximity is a resource: excluding it from protection tools is a mistake that must be corrected as soon as possible.

Local Police forces, together with all other law enforcement agencies, play an essential role: timely interventions, protection of vulnerable victims, activation of inter-institutional protocols, cooperation with anti-violence centers, prosecutors’ offices, social services, and judicial authorities.

Prevention, culture, and support tools for real commitment

Prevention also comes through education and awareness in schools, workplaces, and communities. The culture of respect begins early: in how we speak, in daily behavior, in emotional education, in the ability to recognize signs of control and manipulation.

In Italy, the hotline 1522, active 24/7, offers listening, psychological support, and guidance to local services. It is a precious network, but it must be accompanied by faster, more effective, and more protective laws.

November 25 is not just a recurrence — it is a reminder.

Violence is not fought one day a year: it is fought through laws, culture, courage, and concrete protection.

And it is in this concreteness that the civility of a country is measured: not when the victim runs away, but when the State finally succeeds in stopping the one who made her a victim.