[ Italiano ]
Press release

Gender-based violence in the time of Covid-19: calls to the 1522 helpline

  • Ascolta questa pagina usando ReadSpeaker
  • Condividi
  • Lascia un feedback

During the lockdown there were 5,031 valid calls to 1522, +73% over the same period in 2019. A total of 2,013 victims asked for help (+59%). The increase in calls is not necessarily attributable to more violence; it could be the effect of awareness campaigns that made women feel less alone.

Reports of family abuse decreased by 43.6% and female homicides went down by 33.5%, and among these reports of women killed by their partner dropped by 83.3%. A sufficient reading of this phenomenon will require a longer reference period.

In Lazio, the incidence rate grew from 6.8 in 2019 to 12.4 in the same period of 2020; in Toscana, the rate went from 4.8 to 8.5 per 100,000 residents. Compared to the same period in 2019, more victims also called from Sardegna and Umbria.

1,543 calls were requests for help for violence suffered, but many women also called to get information on the 1522 service (28.3%) or to reveal problem situations other than violence (17.1%).

In 60.6% of cases, calls came in between 9:00 and 17:00; calls at night and in the early morning, usually a smaller number, reached 17.5% during the lockdown.

45.3% of victims feared for their safety or their lives, 72.8% did not report the crime suffered. In 93.4% of cases, violence occurred in the home, and 64.1% reported also witnessed violence.

Reference period: 1 March-16 April 2020

Date of Issue: 30 June 2020

Downloads

Contacts

Media relations office
ph. +39 06 4673.2243-4
Media contact centre
ufficiostampa@istat.it

Contact centre
ph. +39 06 4673.3102
contact centre