66 users, 167 rapid tests for HIV and syphilis, 7 meetings in schools with over 1,100 students: these are the results of the first 6 months of activity of the Anti-discrimination Center Protego, which operates between Palermo and Trapani.
The results of the first months of operation of the Protego Anti-Discrimination Center were presented yesterday, December 22nd.
The meeting, organized at the Department of Social Activities of the Municipality of Palermo, was attended by Councilor Rosi Pennino and Tullio Prestileo, director of the UOSD Infectious Pathologies in Vulnerable Populations of the ARNAS ’Civico Di Cristina e Benfratelli“.
These are the results of a project that, on the one hand, seeks to offer concrete responses to the needs of LGBTQIA+ people who are victims of discrimination, violence, or marginalization, and on the other, actively networks institutions (local authorities and hospitals) and associations.
At the heart of Protego's activities is a working group of staff and volunteers who receive requests, understand users' needs, and direct them to the most appropriate services. Protego offers legal counseling services (civil, criminal, and migration), family mediation, social assistance, psychological support, training and job search guidance, a health desk, and STI (sexually transmitted infection) screening, as well as socio-legal support for LGBTQIA+ migrants.
Protego is a pilot project supported by the National Anti-Discrimination Office – Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Department for Equal Opportunities and is the first center against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in western Sicily and one of the first in Italy.
“The launch of Protego has made it possible to strengthen and systematize the services that Arcigay Palermo was already providing, it has broadened the range of services offered to the LGBTQIA+ community of Palermo and Trapani, and above all it has created a large network of collaborations that starts from the Municipalities of Palermo and Trapani and extends to health institutions such as the ARNAS Civico and the Policlinico, passes through reference points for volunteering and social services in the city such as the Centro Diaconale La Noce and includes all the LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA individuals who were already working together to build Palermo Pride. – declares Mirko Pace, president of Arcigay Palermo – This project marks a point of no return for us: its conclusion cannot mean the closure of essential services that must continue to be provided. We ask the local authorities and institutions collaborating with us to continue on this path, knowing that there is still much work to be done to ensure the well-being of our community.”
“"Over the past six months, people with extremely diverse requests and needs have turned to the Protego Center: in addition to episodes of actual violence, there have been people seeking legal advice for child custody, some in serious economic and social difficulty, elderly people suffering from loneliness, and much more: a sign that this is a necessary service. And we're just getting started."” – declares Daniela Tomasino, coordinator of the Protego Center.
The project is implemented by Arcigay Palermo in ATS with the Municipality of Palermo and the Municipality of Trapani, in partnership with the Diaconal Center "La Noce" - Waldensian Institute, ARNAS Civic-Di Cristina-Benfratelli Hospitals, the Sicilian Order of Psychologists, Rainbow Families, Consorzio Solidalia, University Hospital "P. Giaccone", Agedo Palermo, Penc Center - Anthropology and Geoclinical Psychology, Maghweb, Arci Sicilia, Paths of Hope - Local Group "Ali d'Aquila", Palermo Pride, Sicilia Queer Filmfest Cultural Association, REFO (Evangelical Network for Faith and Homosexuality), UAAR Circle of Palermo, The Factory, Arci Tavola Tonda.
In Palermo the headquarters of the Protego anti-discrimination centre is inside the Cultural Shipyards, at Tavola Tonda.
After closing for the holidays, the Center will reopen on January 9th. You can contact the operators at +39 375 5190 167 (Whatsapp, Telegram), or by email at: [email protected]
