In 2026, Fondazione Marcegaglia renews and strengthens its commitment to tackling gender-based violence, choosing to intervene where the need is most urgent: at the moment a woman asks for help, and in the quality of the support network that is called upon to receive her.
This commitment focuses not only on protecting women who experience violence, but also on building long-term pathways to autonomy, psychological support and self-determination—key elements of a genuine process of women’s empowerment.
The scale of the phenomenon remains alarming. In Italy, according to preliminary estimates produced by ISTAT as part of the third edition of the Survey on Violence against Women, around 6.4 million women aged between 16 and 75 have experienced at least one form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. 18.8% have suffered physical violence, 23.4% sexual violence, and in 5.7% of cases this involved rape or attempted rape. These figures are accompanied by the tragic toll of femicides: in 2025 alone, 77 women were killed, most often by a partner or former partner.
In this context, effective action means strengthening the first points of listening and psychological support, and investing in the skills of those who work daily in Anti-Violence Centres—key hubs for ensuring qualified access to services and supporting women survivors along their pathways out of violence.
It is from this awareness that Fondazione Marcegaglia has decided to support, over the 2026–2027 biennium, two complementary initiatives aimed at making support more accessible, more qualified and capable of generating a lasting impact.
MamaChat APS
First-line support for women experiencing violence: an accessible online psychological helpdesk
In the journey out of gender-based violence, the first step is often the most difficult: recognising the need for help and finding a safe space in which to speak. It is precisely at this crucial moment that the intervention of MamaChat APS comes into play. Fondazione Marcegaglia will support MamaChat over the 2026–2027 biennium with a total contribution of €60,000.
Founded in 2017, MamaChat is the first European organisation dedicated to psychological and social support via chat. Through a free, anonymous and secure digital helpdesk, it provides first-line psychological listening and professional guidance to women experiencing violence or situations of severe vulnerability, overcoming the economic, social and cultural barriers that often prevent access to traditional services.
Since 2017, MamaChat has provided free support to more than 60,000 women and young people. Today, it identifies an average of four cases of violence per day, manages over 700 serious clinical cases per month, and handles more than 10,000 chats per year, representing for many women the first safe space in which to recognise violence and begin a path towards leaving it.
Support from Fondazione Marcegaglia will help strengthen this frontline service through:
- an increase in the opening hours of the Chat Helpdesk, with two additional hours per week;
- expanded access to the service, reaching up to 15,000 beneficiaries per year (30,000 over two years);
- strengthening of the team through continuous training and supervision;
- more structured data analysis to better understand emerging needs and trends;
- the activation of 10 free “Suspended Therapy” pathways for women experiencing violence or severe psychological vulnerability.
Supporting MamaChat means safeguarding one of the most delicate moments in the journey out of violence: the moment when a woman finds the courage to ask for help.
Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila ETS
Training those who provide support: strengthening skills in Anti-Violence Centres
Alongside first-line listening and psychological support for women survivors of violence, the quality of the skills of those working in Anti-Violence Centres is a decisive factor in ensuring truly effective and safe pathways out of violence. It is from this awareness that Fondazione Marcegaglia’s support for the second edition of the National Permanent Training School for Anti-Violence Centre Practitioners, promoted by Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila, was born.
In 2026, Fondazione Marcegaglia will contribute €20,000 to the project, supporting a free training programme involving approximately 420 practitioners from Anti-Violence Centres across Italy, running from October 2026 to May 2027.
The School responds to a structural need within the anti-violence network: reducing fragmentation of skills, strengthening professional profiles, and encouraging the adoption of shared tools and approaches. The programme addresses particularly complex areas of daily work, including support for women experiencing gender-based violence, work with children, human trafficking and trauma management. It is overseen by a Technical and Scientific Committee composed of experienced Anti-Violence Centre practitioners and academic professionals.
Fondazione Marcegaglia’s support will help ensure the continuity of this training initiative, strengthening the entire Anti-Violence Centre network in a structured way and improving the quality of services offered to women nationwide.
Gender-Based Violence: Strengthening Listening and Anti-Violence Centres
Investing in first-line listening and in the training of Anti-Violence Centre practitioners means acting on the foundations of pathways out of gender-based violence. Through its support for MamaChat and the National Training School promoted by Fondazione Una Nessuna Centomila, Fondazione Marcegaglia helps make support more accessible to women survivors, strengthens the quality of responses provided by the network, and contributes to building communities that are more aware, safer and better equipped to support women’s self-determination over time.
Supporting Change Together
Support for MamaChat and the National Training School for Anti-Violence Centre practitioners is part of Fondazione Marcegaglia’s broader, long-term commitment. The Foundation supports women and young people in becoming protagonists of their own social and economic development through projects focused on education, entrepreneurship, poverty reduction and the prevention of domestic violence—helping to build fairer, more inclusive and more conscious communities.
Discover all the projects supported by Fondazione Marcegaglia.
If you would also like to support these pathways for change, you can do so by choosing to allocate your 5×1000 tax donation to Fondazione Marcegaglia: a simple gesture that helps strengthen concrete initiatives in support of the most vulnerable people.
