The World Day Against Violence Against Women should be a time for reflection and concrete action. However, this year too, the debate was dispersed in marginal discussions. There has been too much talk about who commits more violence: Italians or foreigners, regular or irregular immigrants, as if violence could be classified. A drift that risks making us lose sight of the only relevant point: violence against women is a scourge that is still far from being eradicated.

Pointing the finger at illegal immigrants as the main culprits is not only a mistake, but also a stupid self-absolution of Italian men. To always blame the ‘black man’ is to always absolve the ‘white man’. This shifting of responsibility onto ‘others’ avoids looking at the root of the problem, which is deeply rooted in our society. It is disturbing that this narrative is also fuelled by some women, perhaps unaware that they are perpetuating divisive stereotypes.

Violence against women, especially domestic violence, is particularly insidious. Compared to that committed by foreigners, which is often more obvious and ultimately more containable, domestic violence is more difficult to detect and combat. We are talking about abuse perpetrated by partners, husbands or ex-partners, which also results in feminicide. This form of violence is fed by a culture that, in many cases, tends to normalise or conceal it.

Violence against women has no ethnicity, skin colour or passport; it only has victims and perpetrators. Seeking justifications or biased interpretations only perpetuates a spiral of denial. It is not important who commits the violence, but that it is committed.

Respect for women and repudiation of violence are far from being universal principles. It is not enough to be indignant; it is necessary to recognise that domestic violence, that which takes place in the supposed safety of the home, is the most insidious and difficult to combat. It is not enough to be against violence: it is necessary to act so that this no longer exists.