CONTRO: a participatory project placing companies at the center of the fight against gender-based violence
Gender-based violence is not an isolated issue. It is a systemic phenomenon that runs through society and is also embedded in everyday language, behaviours and relationships. It is from this awareness that CONTRO was born: a project conceived and promoted by Amapola Società Benefit to foster a concrete discussion on the role companies can play in preventing and addressing gender-based violence.
The initiative took shape around the event “CONTRO. Supporting companies in the challenge against gender-based violence”, held in Turin on 5 March 2026, and developed through a combination of research, editorial work, partnership building, public dialogue and co-design.
The white paper: Inside the workplace, against violence
The first phase of the project focused on drafting an in-depth white paper, conceived as both an analytical and an orientation tool. Developed together with Fondazione Libellula and the University of Turin, with CIRSDe – the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research and Studies on Women and Gender, the document brought together the latest available data on gender-based violence at global, European and Italian level, with a specific focus on the workplace.
This research was complemented by a mapping of 23 case studies involving companies, institutions and associations, highlighting approaches, policies, tools and practices already in place in different contexts.
The event
The white paper provided the starting point for the event in Turin, which brought together around 80 participants for a morning of high-level exchange among companies, institutions, organisations and the research community.
The programme featured contributions from local institutions, the presentation of the white paper, a roundtable discussion with companies and associations, and a final workshop session designed around co-design and design thinking methodologies.
A central part of the initiative was the working group session, created to encourage direct participation and active contribution from both speakers and attendees. When registering for the event, participants were able to choose which working group to join, taking part in a collective process aimed at generating ideas, identifying priorities and outlining concrete actions.
The outcomes of this participatory work were then incorporated into a second release of the white paper, enriched by the insights that emerged during the event and by the exchange among the different actors involved. In this way, CONTRO did not simply document the current state of play, but produced an evolving output capable of combining data, practices and shared perspectives.
A broad network of partners
The project was promoted by Amapola with the support of a network of 11 partners, including scientific partners, institutional stakeholders, supporting companies and a technical partner.
These included Fondazione Libellula and the University of Turin, with UniToGO and CIRSDe, as scientific partners; Camera di Commercio di Torino, Comitato per l’Imprenditoria Femminile Torino, Città Metropolitana di Torino, Torino Social Impact and Unione Industriali Torino as institutional partners; with the support of CSI Piemonte, Edison, Lidl Italia and Roquette Italia, and Dotwords as technical partner.
The Amapola project
Amapola oversaw the entire project: from the initial strategic concept to partnership development, from research and editorial work on the white paper to event design, facilitation of the participatory sessions and the dissemination of the project’s outputs.
CONTRO was conceived as a project combining a strong cultural perspective with practical tools, with the aim of helping companies reflect on their role and responsibilities. The result is a format that brings together research, stakeholder engagement and content development, connecting the business world with academia, institutions and civil society.
The dedicated landing page makes it possible to explore the event agenda, download the white paper, watch the opening video and browse a small photo gallery: https://lp.amapola.it/it-it/contro-evento-marzo-2026-violenza-di-genere
