Protesters in Rome and Palermo march against femicide.

Italy’s anti-violence helpline 1522 received 48,000 calls and text messages in the first nine months of 2024, an increase of 57 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The figures, released by Italy's ministry of equal opportunities, showed a surge of women seeking help in the aftermath of the brutal murder of university student Giulia Cecchettin last November, in a case that sparked a major debate on femicide in Italy.

The 1522 helpline - which is free, anonymous and active 24 hours a day - is designed as a first response to the needs of victims of gender-based violence and stalking.

Rallies against gender-based violence

An estimated 150,000 people joined a rally in Rome on Saturday to condemn violence against women, with thousands also taking to the streets of the Sicilian capital Palermo.

The marches against femicide and patriarchy were organised by the Non una di meno (Not one less) feminist movement ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, held annually on 25 November.

Activists in Rome staged a topless march in homage to Ahoo Dayraei, a female Iranian student who stripped to her underwear in an anti-hijab protest at a university in Tehran.

Demonstrators also burned a photograph of Italy's right-wing education minister Giuseppe Valditara after he claimed that a rise in rapes and sexual violence in the country was linked to irregular migration.

Valditara made the controversial remark last week during the presentation of the Giulia Cecchettin Foundation, set up in memory of the 22-year-old student whose former boyfriend Filippo Turetta is currently standing trial on murder charges.

Non una di meno activists in Rome carried a banner containing the names of the 106 women killed in Italy in the year since Cecchettin's murder on 11 November 2023.

There were 99 women killed in Italy between 1 January and 18 November 2024, which equates to one woman killed every three days, state broadcaster RAI News reports.

Orange the World

The facade of Palazzo Chigi, the seat of Italy's government, was illuminated with orange lights on Sunday night as part of the Orange the World campaign to end violence against women.

Italy's culture ministry is also adhering to the international campaign by lighting up museums, archaeological parks and state cultural sites in orange on Monday night.

Photo credit: Fabrizio Maffei / Shutterstock.com.