Honest Downsides to Living in Italy: Unfortunate Realities for Women

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about femicide, assault, women in the workplace, abortion, IVF, and adoption. We do our best to put trigger warnings where appropriate so you can skip ahead. If this episode isn't for you or if you're not in the headspace to listen, we completely understand! This episode is a bit of a departure from our normal topics, but it's something we care deeply about: women's rights, equality, and access to healthcare. We also touch on another topic important to us, LGBTQ+ family's rights and healthcare. As we've said before, it feels irresponsible to encourage you all to visit and stay while only talking about the beautiful coast, rich history, and incredible food. We want to tell you the good and the bad. You may notice that I (Darcy) say "uh" and "um" a lot in the beginning of this episode. I was fairly nervous to talk about these topics, because they are serious and heavy issues, unlike our typical lighthearted episodes. I hope it doesn't take you out of the episode and I appreciate your understanding!If you are experiencing violence or stalking you can call 1522 where you can reach professionals who are trained to help victims of violence and stalking. They also have an online chat and app. This hotline is multilingual and available 24/7. If you are in an emergency call 122, which will connect you to an operator for police, ambulance, and fire (it's like the US's 911 or the UK's 999). More resources:Vita di Donne is a great resource for women's health. They have articles and further recourses for assistances well as a hotline as well as emergency numbers for the morning-after pill and gynecology services. Artemisia Anti Violence Center has resources for women and children who have been or are experiencing abuse. Arcigay is an overarching organization made up of 72 associations and committees across the country who fight for LGBTQ+ rights in Italy. We'd love to hear from you! You can reach out to us on our website Only a Bag and on Instagram. If you would like to donate to us, you can do so at ⁠⁠ko-fi.com/onlyabag⁠. Thank you all so much for listening!