Barbara Bavastro has been living for years on the front line of one of our country's deepest wounds: gender-based violence.
As coordinator of Wall of Dolls Liguria, her work moves where activism meets reality: in the stories, fears, and silences of women who ask for help every day.
In this episode, Barbara dismantles the superficial narrative about femicide in Italy and takes us inside what we don't see:
why the numbers are rising, what we continue to ignore, and where prevention fails before it even begins.
Barbara explains:
◼️ The state of the art on gender-based violence in Italy today
◼️ Why so many women do not report it — and what invisible barriers protect them... or trap them
◼️ How violence has moved online: technology-facilitated VAWG and new patterns of abuse
◼️ The uncomfortable questions about femicide, language, and media responsibility
◼️ What really happens in a listening center
◼️ The role of schools, institutions, and communities in creating — or blocking — real change
◼️ The stories that have marked her and why we can no longer afford to look away
This is not an episode to “catch up on later.”
It's an episode that stays with you.
It's uncomfortable.
It's necessary.
It's the conversation we should all be having — but too often remains out of the picture.
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Timestamps:
0:00:00 What is Wall of Dolls?
0:05:07 The Urgency of Femicide Data
0:06:02 Personal History: Why the Commitment?
0:10:23 What is Still Shocking?
0:11:16 The Appeal: Breaking the Silence
0:12:44 Why Don't Women Report It?
0:16:08 The Importance of Financial Independence
0:17:08 Support: What to Offer Those Who Suspect It?
0:20:07 Murder vs. Femicide: The Difference
0:21:46 How to Involve Young People (Schools)?
0:26:47 The Impact of Witnessed Violence
0:30:00 Tips for Talking to Children About Violence
0:34:58 Girls Today: Aware or Afraid?
0:37:42 The Issue of Online Violence
0:39:32 What Are the Warning Signs?
0:40:50 The Turning Point: The New Bill
0:42:48 Response to Criticism of Gender-Based Crimes
0:43:51 Vision for the Future (10 Years)
0:45:18 What Exactly Do the Dolls Represent?
sources:
1. https://tg24.sky.it/cronaca/2025/11/25/giornata-contro-violenza-donne-femminicidi-italia-2025
2. https://www.treccani.it/magazine/atlante/notizie/la-strage-senza-fine-oltre-70-femminicidi-nel-2025.html
3. https://lespresso.it/c/attualita/2025/11/24/femminicidi-violenza-donne-2025-quante-vittime/58363
4. https://www.marcogmellace.it/femminicidio-donne-vittime-omicidio/
5. https://www.corriere.it/cronache/25_ottobre_15/femminicidi-ultimo-pamela-genini-morti-anno-f01ab766-3571-47c0-a93c-54c2eefb0xlk.shtml
11. https://tg24.sky.it/politica/2025/07/23/reato-femminicidio-ddl-approvato-senato
12. https://mappeser.com/2025/11/26/approvata-la-nuova-legge-sul-femminicidio-25-novembre-2025/
13. https://www.corriere.it/politica/25_luglio_23/ddl-femminicidio-reato-senato-95b7cba2-2ca4-4e2b-afc1-6e3bf6a65xlk.shtml
14. https://edunews24.it/scuola/legge-2-dicembre-2025-n-181-svolta-nella-lotta-al-femminicidio-e-nuove-strategie-di-prevenzione-nelle-scuole
15. https://www.sistemapenale.it/it/scheda/legge-femminicidio-gazzetta-ufficiale-novita-diritto-penale-sostanziale-processuale
16. https://mc2legali.it/femminicidio-cosa-e-cambiato-davvero-tra-il-ddl-del-7-marzo-2025-e-la-legge-appena-approvata/
17. https://cavalierenews.it/cronaca/32453/italia-il-femminicidio,-finalmente,-diventa-legge.html
18. https://www.geopop.it/l-ddl-femminicidio-e-legge-approvato-in-parlamento-cosa-cambia-ora/
19. https://www.senato.it/service/PDF/PDFServer/DF/442775.pdf
20. https://www.giurisprudenzapenale.com/2025/11/26/approvata-definitivamente-la-proposta-sullintroduzione-del-reato-di-femminicidio/
