Naples, 27 November 2023 – A red bench in memory of the victims of violence and femicide. The initiative was taken by the Campania-Molise Equal Opportunities Committee of the Gruppo FS Italiane which, with the support of the National Equal Opportunities Committee, installed a red-coloured bench in the Piazza Garibaldi station in Naples this morning.
'Red Bench' aims to combat violence against women, a project that FS Group has introduced in support of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, reaffirming its commitment to combating all forms of discrimination and ill-treatment.
The inauguration was attended by the members of the Campania-Molise EOC and the National EOC, Mario Cuoco and Fabio Rapuano, respectively Regional Director of Trenitalia Campania-Molise and Territorial Infrastructure Operations Director of Naples, and Domenica Lomazzo, Effective Equality Advisor to the Campania Region. Also present during the morning was the artist Adelaide Schioppa, who created a work of art supporting today's initiative, which was then donated to the Chairperson of FS Group Equal Opportunities Committee Francesca Ciuffini.
"It is a symbolic action in remembrance of the void left by the women victims of violence and femicide, to make everyone think,” stated The Chairperson Francesca Ciuffini. “It is a simple yet deeply tangible gesture, destined to capture people's attention in the places and everyday situations we all live. The decision to place the red bench precisely in a station, a place of passage, meeting and relationship, further emphasises that violence is a systemic fact that requires the attention of everyone. The eye drawn by the artist represents the wide gaze, the attention we can all pay to recognising the different forms of violence, even the most subtle ones'.
In addition to the 'Panchina Rossa' project, FS Group has also launched the 'Biglietto SOSpeso' initiative, which will allow the DIRE (women in network against violence) and Differenza Donna associations to travel with Trenitalia free of charge throughout 2024. In addition, the Group's spaces will host the posters of a new campaign to encourage caring for others, a project under the patronage of the Ministry of the Interior and in collaboration with the American association Right To Be which, through the 5D approach (Delegare, Dare Sostegno, Dichiarare, Documentare e Distrarre — Delegate, Give Support, Declare, Document and Distract), defines clear guidelines on how to intervene safely in the event of episodes of harassment.