In Italy, a femicide is committed every 3.8 days. A shocking fact, confirmed by the sad trend of 2025 – which has already been recorded over 60 episodes in the first 8 months of the year. In this context, on the initiative of the Honourable Chiara Gribaudo, President of the Parliamentary Commission of inquiry into working conditions in Italy, exploitation and the protection of health and safety in public and private workplaces, the “Red Calendar”: a pro-bono awareness initiative, sponsored by the Municipality of Milan and conceived by Havas Italia, among the main international integrated communication networks, in support of the DONNEXSTRADA Association, with the collaboration of CNC Media, part of eGroup Italy, media company and creative agency.
«Violence against women must be combated in all possible ways and this initiative fits perfectly into the delicate and fundamental part of prevention and awareness of society, which still too often underestimates this problem», declared the Honorable Gribaudo, «the Red Calendar reminds us, not in black and white but in black and red, what frightening numbers we are talking about. A woman is killed every three days, very often within the home, and the phenomenon can no longer be treated as emergency, but rather systemic. Counting, counting on it, is an important step, from which politics can no longer escape. I thank Havas Italia, DONNEXSTRADA and CNC Media for this precious opportunity and for their daily work on behalf of women.”
«The red calendar, with a simple and high-impact graphic solution, puts us face to face with a reality that we often fail to come to terms with: male violence against women seems to have no limits, indeed it demonstrates all its fury precisely when the foundations of patriarchal society are called into question», he declared Lamberto BertoléCouncilor for Welfare and Health of the Municipality of Milan, «pointing out – in black and red, precisely – the frequency with which feminicides take place forces us to face the truth: women continue to die at the hands of men and we must do much more to prevent this from happening, starting with the education of the youngest so that they internalize a culture of respect, the basis of a more just society for all».
Red Calendar is an idea that comes from data, from the observation of a reality that is still too worrying today, in front of which we cannot remain indifferent.
Unlike the traditional ones, in fact, in the Red Calendar everything changes. The visual code we are used to, according to which weekdays are represented in black and Sundays and holidays in red, is overturned, leaving room for a new language that rewrites the meaning of the days and which presents a new face – certainly harsher – of the reality in which we live, in which women are too often victims of violent and unjustified behaviour. The red days therefore remember the women victims of femicide, testifying to the crude statistics, while the remaining black days, functional to the narrative, contain practical information to face and prevent critical situations, as well as motivational messages designed to raise awareness and support those who find themselves in difficult situations.
«Today we are proud to present the Red Calendar project, created to remember every day the many, too many victims of femicide that we still have in Italy today», he declared Caterina Tonini, CEO of Havas Creative Network Italia, «this initiative, of which Havas is the leader, is designed mainly for companies: joining it means choosing to take on an active and responsible role, not just an economic one. It means committing concretely to generating change within your organization, promoting social culture among people and thus contributing to the well-being of society” continued Tonini. «Communication – especially internal communication – has a crucial role in promoting profound cultural change. Listening to the needs of your people and building an environment based on respect, equality and awareness is the first step. What happens in the company, where we spend most of our day, inevitably also has an impact on the private sphere, relationships and the community. And it is precisely this responsibility that we want to take on, all of us.” The initiative, which has obtained the patronage of the Municipality of Milan, has as its main objective that of supporting the activities of the DONNEXSTRADA Association, a very important reality in the Italian panorama for years engaged in support and assistance activities for women in difficulty or victims of violence.
The Red Calendar is a product that can be purchased by companies and organizations with a demonstrated commitment to the topic, at a fixed, controlled price of 15 euros. of which 50% of the proceeds will be entirely – and directly – donated by the buyers to the DONNEXSTRADA Association, while the remaining 50% will be used to cover production and printing costs.
«The Red Calendar is an act of civil responsibility and collective awareness: an invitation to recognize femicide not as an episodic emergency, but as a structural violation of fundamental rights and personal freedom», the comment of Irene De Cristofaro, Legal Advisor & Project Manager DONNEXSTRADA, «every red day tells a story that never had to end, but which can still teach us to change the next ones. Restoring visibility to what is too often reduced to a number or a news headline means reaffirming the dignity of each of us, and recognizing the power of memory. It is a call to common duty: change comes from listening, dialogue and the courage to name violence to truly counter it, transforming awareness into concrete protection, in homes and workplaces. As DONNEXSTRADA, we believe in the value of law, solidarity and prevention: for this reason we are proud to support Havas in a common commitment aimed at subverting the culture of silence”.
