Per politiche trasformative. Spunti a partire dall’analisi del sistema italiano antiviolenza ai tempi della pandemia

The aim of the article is to contribute to the theoretical and public debate in regard to anti- violence and welfare policies, by shedding light on the relevance of care and relational dimen- sion and their potentials in pandemic’s aftermath. Starting from the analysis of the system to support women suffering gender violence in Italy during the Covid-19 crisis, we focus on some approaches implemented by antiviolence centres (avc) over time that could be innovative in the contest of care sectors: namely, a gender and multidimensional approach with a relational dimension at its core. Throughout the article, we analyze the specific practices of avcs based on the ‘relationship between women’. These methodologies represent a professional ap- proach consolidated over time, a sort of unicum both in the anti-violence system and in the cultures of care within the public services: following their effectiveness and efficiency, they might represent an experimental model for the development of new engendered social policies oriented by an intersectional and multidisciplinary approach, with care at the core. The analysis is based on 1) the survey conducted by irpps-cnr within avcs during the first lockdown (March-May 2020); 2) qualitative interviews conducted with professionals of thirty- eight selected women’s avc and shelters in Italy in 2019-2020; 3) a critical review of the more recent data and literature on the topic.