Starting today, BASE officially joins the network of Punti Viola by DonnexStrada, safe spaces spread across Italy, created to offer support and protection to anyone who finds themselves in a situation of danger or distress in the street or in public spaces. Becoming a Punto Viola means becoming part of a network of proximity: a constellation of people, businesses, institutions, and cultural spaces that take care of their communities, starting from the local territory.
What is a Punto Viola
A Punto Viola is a space recognized and trained by DonnexStrada, an association committed to fighting gender-based violence and promoting the safety of all people in public spaces. The staff of each Punto Viola receives dedicated training from the association’s legal and psychological professionals to offer immediate support and assistance when needed.
For BASE, becoming a Punto Viola is both a political and cultural act.
It means acknowledging that safety is a collective right, one that begins in the spaces we inhabit every day, and that each of us can contribute to building a more equitable, caring, and conscious environment.
To celebrate joining the network, BASE hosts a public talk dedicated to the new Workplace Support Service, promoted by DonnexStrada in collaboration with MALO HR: a project that extends the mission of the Punti Viola into the workplace, so that the world of work too can become a space of freedom and self-determination — where everyone can shape their future consciously, without ever needing to ask for permission.
Anyone can join the network
Bars, bookshops, cinemas, theatres, clubs, coworking spaces, shops: any public-facing place can become a Punto Viola. To join, simply fill out the application form on the DonnexStrada website, take part in the free online training led by lawyers and psychologists specialized in gender-based violence, and receive the information and recognition kit to display in your space.
Find out more and apply at www.donnexstrada.org/puntiviola.
If you feel unsafe, are being harassed, or need help, you can enter a Punto Viola:
– Staff will let you in and make sure you’re safe;
– If necessary, they will call the police;
– They can connect you with a women’s shelter, an anti-violence center, or an emergency room;
– And most importantly: they will listen to you, without judgment.