Various objects have become visible symbols of the fight to eliminate violence against women around the world. Women are being killed, raped, disfigured, beaten, segregated, denigrated. There are so many forms of violence that destroy the dignity and the life of women. Several women's organizations and individuals are trying to raise awareness of gender-based violence and promote a cultural change in society by using a symbol.
enditnow® The Women’s Ministries Department of the Seventh-Day Adventist church launched the enditnow® campaign in partnership with ADRA International in 2009. The initiative has become the symbol for Adventists of affirming the dignity and value of not only women but also of every human being; and condemning and denouncing all forms of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. enditnow® has organized flash mobs, collected signatures for a petition, organized meetings, distributed materials.
Red Shoes. Launched by the Mexican activist Elina Chauvet, "Zapatos Rojas" (Red shoes) is a way of showing to the world how many women are victims of femicide. The idea has been picked up in many Italian cities where on a town square an expanse of red shoes have been installed, symbolizing how love can turn into evil and violence. The shoes represent and denounce the violent attacks, deaths, and mistreatment suffered by women, but also the will to fight the scourge and to rise above the horror.
Amphora. An amphora is the symbol of the "Relay of women to eliminate violence against women", organized by the Union of Women in Italy (UDI). The relay race started on November 25, 2008, in Niscemi in Sicily, where a 14- year-old girl called Lorena was murdered. The relay journey lasted a whole year, passing through the whole of Italy, and ended in Brescia, Lombardy, on November 25, 2009, where the throat of a 20-year-old woman called Hiina had been slit. The amphora with two handles was carried throughout the relay together by two women, showing the importance of solidarity and closeness among women on all issues that touch them deeply. The Federation of Evangelical Women in Italy (FDEI), to which the Adventist Women's Ministries belong, welcomed the amphora in Rome.
White silhouettes of women. In various Italian cities, women's organizations have used white silhouettes of victims of femicide placed in the squares (as in Turin), painted on walls (as in Rome), installed along a main street (as in Matera), recalling zebra crossings with the slogan "do not run over" (as in Milan), to denounce and make visible the number of women who died at the hands of men who professed to love them.
Reserved seat. A simple idea, started in 2013 by Maria Andaloro, has slowly spread to many Italian cities. (https://postoccupato.org/). Usually, you occupy a seat at the cinema, in the theater or on the train, with a newspaper, a hat or a bag, to say "the place is mine and I will come back to occupy it". But many women will no longer be coming back because they are victims of femicide. FDEI joined the initiative, launching the action in churches beginning on November 25, 2014. Several Adventist congregations set up a seat with a scarf and red bag in their churches. A reserved seat was also set up in the offices of the Italian Union to commemorate victims of femicide.
Red bench. In many Italian cities, there are red benches, designed as a symbol of opposition to violence against women. A red bench is a permanent sign of memory and hope. Many schools have decided to set up a red bench in front of the school building. This is the case of the campus of the Adventist Faculty of Theology in Florence, where a red bench will be inaugurated on November 22, 2021, with a ceremony attended by the municipal authorities. The Enditnow® Day of Women's Ministries will also be presented.
Orange Day. The 25th of each month is an Orange Day proclaimed by the UN to raise awareness and prevent violence against women, girls, and children. On November 25 and every 25th of each month, everyone is invited to wear something orange: a scarf, a headscarf, a ribbon, a bag, a tie, whatever. Every visible sign is a testimony of who we are and an opportunity to tell others what we are passionate about. We want to eliminate violence, increase and promote respect for all people and effectuate a change away from the culture of violence. We want an end to women being forced to "wear" the signs of physical and psychological violence.
According to a report by Lina Ferrara, Women’s Ministries Director, Italian Union