Rome to host Non Una di Meno demonstration on Saturday.

The Italian government lit up the façade of its Rome headquarters in red on Thursday night to show its support for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Friday.

The names of the 104 femicide victims in 2022 (up to 20 November) were also projected onto Palazzo Chigi, an initiative that will be repeated until midnight on Friday night, with the Colossseum turning red too.

Underlining the government's commitment to continue the fight begun by the last administration to tackle violence against women, premier Giorgia Meloni identified three key themes: "prevention, protection and certainty of punishment".

"This government is and will always be at the forefront of fighting violence against women and the terrible scourge of femicide", Meloni said in a statement released by Palazzo Chigi.

Minister for the Family, Eugenia Roccella, also announced an agreement with the Italian post office to advertise 1522, a free number active 24 hours a day for requests for help on violence and stalking.

Il 24 e #25novembre sulla facciata di Palazzo Chigi, illuminata di rosso per la “Giornata internazionale per l'eliminazione della violenza contro le donne”, i nomi delle 104 donne vittime di femminicidio nel 2022#Illuminiamole pic.twitter.com/K59jIDyAGx

— Palazzo_Chigi (@Palazzo_Chigi) November 24, 2022

On Tuesday Italian police released a study showing that 82 women were killed in Italy in the first nine months of this year.

Data from the Prejudice And Violence Against Women report, drawn up in collaboration with Rome's Sapienza University, revealed that 42 of these women were murdered by their current or former partners.

The report showed that the number of women killed was down nine per cent compared to the 90 femicides recorded during the same period last year, however cases of sexual violence rose by nine per cent to 4,416, with women accounting for 92 per cent of the victims.

#25Novembre: domani momento di riflessione in Campidoglio. Esperte ed esperti si confronteranno sul tema della violenza di genere.

Diretta sulla nostra pagina Facebook dalle ore 10 https://t.co/7bCGm8bsQO

Info https://t.co/DEci08i1ZU#GiornataControLaViolenzaSulleDonne pic.twitter.com/V4kIQQphdA

— Roma (@Roma) November 24, 2022

On Thursday the senate gave its unanimous support to setting up a parliamentary commission of enquiry into femicide and all forms of gender violence, news agency ANSA reports.

Rome is hosting a series of events this week to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

On Saturday the Non Una di Meno (Not One Less) rally is scheduled to begin in Piazza della Repubblica at 14.30 before making its way to Piazza S. Giovanni, leading to some traffic disruption in the city centre.

Around 50,000 people are expected to attend the demonstration which is designed to recall the victims of feminicide and male aggression as well as demanding greater rights for women.

Photo Palazzo Chigi