ROME – Hundreds of female students and staff at the University of Turin have spoken out about “systematic” violence and harassment they have suffered, after interrupting a meeting held by the university dean on gender violence.

 Activists from the Mai più Zitt3 movement, which strives for women to be protected at the university, interrupted the dean, accusing him of not doing enough to help women on campus.

 The university currently only has one anti-violence centre, located in the main hall of the main campus, which has been criticised as not private enough for victims.

 After the interruption, hundreds of students and staff members shared their stories of harassment or violence they had suffered while at the university.

 In February, news broke of a philosophy professor allegedly sexually harassing at least three female students. He was suspended for one month. A spokeswoman for the Mai più Zitt3 activists denounced this action, saying that it was allowing the professor back into a “position of power over his students.”

 Citing the murder of Padua university student Guilia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend in Nov. 2023, which caused country wide protests against femicide, the students stressed the need for sexual violence against women to be taken seriously.

 In a video after the event, another activist said that “the cases of harassment and violence at the University of Turin are not isolated but are a systemic problem that needs to be solved at a structural level.”

 khg