Bandanas as a Symbol in the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence

On the occasion of the closing event of “Libere e Uguali. Per una nuova idea di parità” (“Free and Equal. For a New Idea of Equality”), a project by Donna Moderna in collaboration with universities, companies, and associations, held at Teatro Elfo Puccini on November 19, we created bandanas using reclaimed bed sheets, embroidered with strong and clear messages.

Messages Against Violence

“I am free” is embroidered on some of the bandanas, along with “I respect you” appearing on others. The chosen color is an intense red, also used for the overlocked edge finished with a serger machine, while the lettering was created with a digital embroidery machine. Thanks to our collaboration with the editorial team of Donna Moderna, we took part in a project with a larger mission: the fight against gender-based violence, an issue that unites both women and men.

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The Closing Conference and Awareness Campaign

On November 19, we participated in the final conference of a journey that produced, among other outcomes, a social campaign aimed at making invisible forms of violence visible, bringing attention to the more subtle expressions of abuse. Recognizing the hidden folds of violence in everyday life is a first step toward awareness, an essential tool for change. To this effort we must add the skills of young people, particularly digital natives. New technologies can contribute to preventing and combating violence. How? One response comes from the students of H-Farm College, who developed Diary Ally, an app powered by Artificial Intelligence that communicates with empathy and clarity, helping users recognize abusive behaviors, even when they appear “normal.”

Throughout the morning, speakers from diverse sectors, companies and nonprofit organizations alike, took part in the discussion. This exchange, coordinated by Donna Moderna’s director Maria Elena Viola, highlighted how gender-based violence is not an emergency phenomenon, but rather a structural and deeply cultural issue. It is essential to invest in generational competencies and in the education of young people. The conference brought together different forces, all aware that only by moving in the same direction can meaningful change be achieved.

Spazio 3R’s contribution was not limited to the bandanas distributed to everyone present in the theater. We are living proof that every woman has the opportunity to start again, and the right to be free.