#WAVEmembers: CADMI, Italy

CADMI – Casa di Accoglienza delle Donne Maltrattate di Milano is the first Antiviolence Centre in Italy, born in 1986. It is founder and partner of the national network DiRe – Donne in Rete contro la violenza, which is one of WAVE’s longstanding members.

Since its foundation, CADMI has supported over 30,000 women on their way out of violence, hosting more than 600 in secret homes.

Regarding the situation in Italy, CADMI staff reports: “Gender-based violence (GBV) and domestic violence (DV) are complex phenomena that sink their roots in a patriarchal and male chauvinist society crowded by stereotypes and cultural cages. The numbers are still shocking and have serious consequences affecting many women and their children. On the other hand, we are also experiencing and seeing signs of improvement: more information on GBV and DV creates a different culture that firmly condemns violence and acts to tackle it”.

CADMI works and has been working for over 30 years to support and empower women to find and build their own project to exit a situation of violence.

Starting from a feminist approach CADMI has created a methodology based on:

• Anonymity – privacy and confidentiality
• Freedom to choose – any further step needs the woman consent
• No action is taken on behalf of – we work together
• No obligation to report
• Counselling – no judgement
• Respect for her timing
• Empowerment – monitoring the process and the project
• Risk evaluation – Risk assessment
• Network

Empowerment is the final goal.

CADMI has also decided to work together with the society and in each single community: for example, CADMI sensitizes companies by organizing awareness seminars and workshop going on site and meeting partners, managers, employees. This gives the chance to network, present the projects and over the years has produced important results in fundraising and is literally changing culture.

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