In the last part of this podcast, we look to the future and ask where we can find hope and progress. We learn about the work of the Fondazione Giulia Cechettin and its aim to educate boys and young men around healthy relationships. We also discover an innovative new app that is helping victims recognize abuse and seek safety. Plus, Dr. Isabella Berardelli, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Sapienza University of Rome, explains how victims can rebuild a sense of hope. 

Help resources:

• The European Commission's Directory of Helplines provides numbers for 46 countries. 

https://ec.europa.eu/justice/saynostopvaw/helpline.html

• The Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) database can signpost you to around 1,440 regional services that can be searched by proximity to your location.

https://wave-network.org/find-help/

• Supported by the UN, Lila.Help is a global directory of local and specialised services if you are experiencing violence and abuse.

https://lila.help/

In this episode, we meet Gino Cecchettin, the father of Giulia Cecchettin, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Italy in 2023. Gino describes the devastating impact of his loss, how he is no longer the man he was before, and how he is trying to rebuild a life without his daughter in the face of daily reminders of her. Journalist Francesca Berardi joins us to discuss the national conversation that followed and the influence of the media on the public’s understanding of male violence.

Help resources:

• The European Commission's Directory of Helplines provides numbers for 46 countries. 

https://ec.europa.eu/justice/saynostopvaw/helpline.html

• The Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) database can signpost you to around 1,440 regional services that can be searched by proximity to your location.

https://wave-network.org/find-help/

• Supported by the UN, Lila.Help is a global directory of local and specialised services if you are experiencing violence and abuse.

https://lila.help/

In the second part of this series, we talk to a survivor who fled from the US to the UK for safety and discusses the heavy impact of post-separation abuse. We also meet Stefanie Knaab, a young activist from Germany who explains the legacy of shame that comes from living with an abuser. Plus, we learn about society’s journey to recognising women’s trauma and the unrealistic expectations imposed on them.

Help resources:

• The European Commission's Directory of Helplines provides numbers for 46 countries. 

https://ec.europa.eu/justice/saynostopvaw/helpline.html

• The Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) database can signpost you to around 1,440 regional services that can be searched by proximity to your location.

https://wave-network.org/find-help/

• Supported by the UN, Lila.Help is a global directory of local and specialised services if you are experiencing violence and abuse.

https://lila.help/

In this episode, we meet Rebecca, a survivor of domestic abuse, who recounts the night that changed her life forever. Dr. Anita Riecher-Rössler, Professor Emerita of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Basel, explains the psychological impact of male violence, and Rosa Logar, one Europe’s leading campaigners, describes fighting for women’s freedom from violence for over 40 years.

Help resources:

• The European Commission's Directory of Helplines provides numbers for 46 countries. 

https://ec.europa.eu/justice/saynostopvaw/helpline.html

• The Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) database can signpost you to around 1,440 regional services that can be searched by proximity to your location.

https://wave-network.org/find-help/

• Supported by the UN, Lila.Help is a global directory of local and specialised services if you are experiencing violence and abuse.

https://lila.help/

In this series, journalist Marisa Bate explores the profound psychological impact of male violence against women, something 1 in 3 European women have experienced. We hear powerful testimonies from survivors, as well as from Gino Cecchettin, the father of an Italian femicide victim whose case sparked an unprecedented outpouring of grief and anger. We talk to campaigners and activists, from an Austrian who has worked in this field for over 40 years and helped establish milestone safety measures and legislation, to a young Berliner leading with innovative new technology. We will learn from psychiatrists if and how the mind and body can heal from the trauma inflicted upon victims, and finally, we look to the future and ask: can we dare to be hopeful?