The red bench at the Italian Embassy in Kabul, now operating from Doha, was inaugurated by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, in the presence of Ambassador Sabrina Ugolini and the Embassy staff.
The initiative is part of a project strongly promoted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, to place a red bench at all Italian diplomatic missions abroad. The red bench serves as a symbol of the void left in society when a woman falls victim to femicide, and as a visible testament to the ongoing fight against gender discrimination.
As Minister Tajani recently emphasized: “We must sit on these benches and show our support for women against violence and all forms of discrimination, starting with Afghanistan.”
The red bench takes on particular significance in the Afghan context, where women and girls continue to suffer severe violations of their rights and personal freedoms on a daily basis.
