Thirty-three criminal proceedings in the first six months of 2026, 29 of them still pending. Nineteen women and 17 minors involved in just half a year. These are the figures at the centre of a joint session of Commissions II and IV, held today in San Marino to take stock of gender-based violence and violence against minors. It is a phenomenon that is coming to light more clearly than in the past, yet it still has a hidden side — and it raises a very concrete question: what happens to a victim after she has found the courage to ask for help?
The picture presented by the Government is based on data collected by the Gendarmerie. Cases that reached the judicial authority numbered 48 in 2022, 36 in 2023, 39 in 2024 and 49 in 2025. Reports forwarded by law enforcement to the relevant services, meanwhile, stood at 70, 62, 97 and 73 respectively. According to Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Luca Beccari, these figures cannot be read as a straightforward statistic: not every report corresponds to a crime, and some abuse may still remain hidden behind closed doors.
The rise in recorded cases, therefore, does not necessarily mean that violence itself has increased in the same proportion. It may also indicate that it is now more easily recognised. The conversation is no longer limited to physical or sexual assault, but increasingly includes psychological, economic and digital violence, controlling behaviour by a partner, stalking, and conduct once dismissed as a private or family matter.
“Over time, a solid system of attention and listening has been developed,” Beccari explained, pointing to the work of the Gendarmerie’s Office for Gender Violence and Violence Against Minors, the protected room known as “Una stanza per te” (“A room for you”), joint training carried out with the Carabinieri, and coordination among law enforcement, the ISS (Social Security Institute), the Court and the Equal Opportunities Authority.
The problem, however, often begins precisely after the report is filed. “There is a subsequent phase in which the victim’s situation, her loved ones and any children involved must be managed — especially when minors are involved,” the Secretary of State stressed. Hence the proposal to create dedicated protected facilities, rather than relying on accommodation originally designed for other kinds of emergencies.
The most recent judicial data have fuelled the debate. In 2025 there were 47 criminal proceedings, while in the first six months of 2026 there are already 33. Of these, 29 were still pending as of 30 June, three had been dismissed, and one was awaiting the outcome of an evidentiary hearing. Over the whole period examined, there were 205 victims: 147 women and 50 minors. Together, women and children account for more than 96% of the total.
The figures concerning minors are especially troubling. In 2025, 15 minors were involved; in the first half of 2026 alone, that number has already reached 17. The most recent reports to the Child Protection service include, among others, seven cases of physical violence, four of psychological violence and three of witnessed violence — meaning children or teenagers forced to witness violence committed against a family member.
Matteo Zeppa of Rete described the situation as “serious,” pointing to the 90 proceedings still pending during the period under review and the 19 cases dismissed due to withdrawal of the complaint or failure to file one. “It is important to understand why proceedings are dismissed, and to distinguish between cases of withdrawal and cases where no complaint was ever filed,” he said. The concern is that, behind the withdrawal of a complaint, there may lie a fear of not being adequately protected.
Gaetano Troina of D-ML raised the same point. “One of the biggest deterrents for those considering filing a complaint, making a report or asking for help is precisely the fear of not being properly protected afterwards,” he said. According to Troina, in certain cases real assistance is needed — available around the clock. Prevention is essential, he argued, but without comprehensive protection, victims may still feel exposed to their abuser.
Giulia Muratori of Libera focused on the need to intervene before the emergency stage. Data show that many victims enter the support network through law enforcement or the emergency room, by which point a serious incident has already occurred. For this reason, Muratori argued, schools must be better equipped to spot early warning signs, and the listening service at the Women’s Health Centre (Centro Salute Donna) should be strengthened, allowing people to seek information and support even before they are ready to file a formal complaint.
Secretary of State Massimo Andrea Ugolini explained that the anti-violence network is now able to detect the phenomenon “earlier, more effectively and through a greater number of actors.” The Government is also working on a unified software system to link data from different services, reconstruct the path followed by each victim, and avoid duplication or incomplete information.
Also on the way is a bill against violence and harassment in the workplace, for which urgent procedure will be requested. The draft law provides for the possibility of resigning for just cause and introduces paid leave of up to one hundred days, to be used over a three-year period, for both employees and self-employed workers enrolled in a protection programme certified by the ISS.
The opposition, however, criticised both the Government’s approach and the lack of concrete responses to requests already put forward by the Equal Opportunities Authority. Repubblica Futura asked for updates on the unified Equal Opportunities Code, on explicit consent, on precautionary measures, on the First Emergency Centre, on round-the-clock availability of support staff, and on the obligation to report harassment and abuse in the world of sport.
The debate brought one shared conclusion into focus: bringing violence to light is not enough. What is needed are safe spaces, trained staff, faster judicial timelines, and psychological, financial and family support capable of accompanying victims through the entire process. Filing a report, several commissioners noted, is only the first step. What happens afterwards is what ultimately determines whether a woman or a child can truly feel safe.
