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Programme: WOLF project (Working On Lessening Fear) and For-WOLF 3 project (Training
for WOLF). The first one, realized during 1998 and ended on March 1999, included a
research and a transnational exchange between Italy, Belgium and Netherlands on the
treatment of sex offenders against minors and on the need of training of the staff involved.
For-WOLF, the following project, tried to address the needs previously emerged; therefore,
research, training and transnational exchange (involving also UK and Spain) on the
methodologies and contents of the training of social and penitentiary operators assigned to
the treatment of sex offenders (AA.VV, 1999; Mariotti Culla, De Leo, 2005). The
international comparison on different legal systems, treatment programs and efficacy
showed not only that the criminal sanction is not sufficient to circumscribe the
phenomenon but also, and above all, that it is necessary to proceed with the
implementation of multi-dimensional intervention strategies (Cuzzocrea, Lepri, 2010). Yet,
in recent years, apart from some local experiments, any legislative initiative in this
direction has been developed.
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Department for Equal Opportunities – has
activated, since 2006, a large system action for the prevention and fight of violence, inside
and outside the family, against women, children and adolescents, translating into
operational actions some important indications contained in the law. These actions, mainly
at local level, are the results of a synergic activity between institutions and associations. In
the framework of the already mentioned
the
relevance of certain legal provisions has to be highlighted, in particular the
such as promoting in the
area of residence of the victim (Article 11).
1.
The law enforcement agencies, health facilities and public institutions that
receive from the victim the notification of the crime of persecution, according to
the Article 612-bis of the Criminal Code, introduced by the Article 7, are
required to provide the victim any information related to anti-violence centres
on the territorty and, in particular, in the victim’s area of residence. The law
enforcement agencies, health facilities and public institutions offer themselves
to put in contact the victim with the anti-violence centres, where expressly
requested by the victim.
The communities and anti-violence centres, assigned to the listening, welcoming and
support of women victims of violence and abuse - and often of children and adolescents
(where there are also minors in the family) -, were the first specific response to the
phenomenon of violence and came up from the collaboration between private and public
(in fact, at local level, the centres are often operated by social cooperatives or non-profit
organization). An example is the "Anti-violence front office" active in Rome within the
Policlinico “Tor Vergata” and run by the non-profit organization “Telefono Rosa”. This is a
listening and welcoming service aimed at women victims of abuse or violence. It results
3 The training and research activities have been carried out by the Department of Psychology of
Development and Socialization Processes of the University of Rome “Sapienza” under the scientific
coordination of Prof. Gaetano De Leo. Gian Luigi Lepri and Vera Cuzzocrea (with S. Di Tullio D’Elisiis)
integrated the research group.
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