Why Reporting Harassment Is Harder Than You Think - And What Urban Planning Has to Do with Women’s Safety

In recent months, Italy has been shaken by a disturbing string of feminicides and gender-based violence, reigniting a long-overdue national conversation about the safety of women, the tragic deaths of young women like Giulia Cecchettin (2023), Francesca Ciardi (2024), and Elena Marchese (2025) have dominated headlines, sparking outrage and calls for urgent reforms. Yet, amid the grief and anger, a critical question often surfaces in public discourse: why didn’t they report it sooner?

This question is more than just misguided, it's dangerously simplistic, reporting harassment or abuse isn’t merely a matter of “speaking up”, it’s a complex decision shaped by fear, societal judgment, and, surprisingly to many, even the design of our cities.

In this article, I’ll explore two key issues: the hidden barriers to reporting gender-based violence, and the often-overlooked role urban planning plays in women's safety, focusing on the Italian context, supported by recent reports from TG5, Italy’s leading news source.

1. Why Reporting Harassment Is Harder Than You Think

Despite growing awareness campaigns and legal frameworks, the majority of harassment and gender-based violence goes unreported, according to ISTAT, only 11% of women who experience sexual violence in Italy come forward to law enforcement, the reasons are complex and systemic.

A. Fear of Not Being Believed

Survivors often fear disbelief or victim-blaming, a concern validated tragically by cases like that of Francesca Ciardi, whose repeated pleas for help were reportedly ignored by local authorities before her murder last year, as documented in a TG5 investigative report (TG5, 2024).

B. Bureaucratic and Legal Obstacles

Many women face retraumatizing legal processes that involve multiple interrogations and lack of timely protection, the case of Elena Marchese, who had reported stalking but received no effective intervention before her death in early 2025, highlights these systemic failures (TG5 Special Report, 2025).

C. Economic Dependence and Social Pressure

Economic and cultural factors also play a huge role, many women, especially in southern Italy, face immense pressure to keep abuse private due to financial dependence or traditional norms discouraging public disclosure.

D. Lack of Safe Reporting Channels

While Italy’s 1522 anti-violence hotline has helped many, language barriers and distrust still prevent many - especially migrant women - from seeking help, a gap frequently noted by TG5’s coverage on migrant women’s vulnerability (TG5 News, 2023).

2. What Urban Planning Has to Do with Women’s Safety

Women’s safety is not just a legal or cultural issue, it’s a spatial one, urban environments can either reduce or increase risks of violence.

A. Poorly Lit, Isolated Areas 

Italian cities have many “grey zones”; poorly lit streets, isolated parks, abandoned industrial areas - where assaults are more likely, TG5’s 2024 report on urban safety highlighted how areas in Naples and Rome are particularly unsafe for women after dark.

B. Lack of Inclusive Transport Design

Inadequate public transport options at night and unmonitored stops disproportionately affect women’s mobility and safety, TG5’s recent feature on urban mobility underscored these issues, showing how women working late shifts face unsafe commutes.

C. Absence of Gender-Sensitive Planning

Historically, urban planning has centered on male patterns of movement, ignoring women’s needs for safety, childcare access, and social spaces, Italy’s neglected neighborhoods, especially in economically depressed areas, amplify these problems.

D. Safe Spaces and Social Infrastructure

Safe urban design, like well-lit streets, community centers, and mixed-use areas, helps build social trust and collective protection.

Yet TG5’s reports show this kind of investment is rare outside major city centers, Like Bologna, Milan, Naples, Palermo, and Rome.

Moving Forward: Systemic Change, Not Surface Solutions

The brutal never ending Feminicides, like the ones of Giulia Cecchettin, Francesca Ciardi, and Elena Marchese expose systemic gaps in protection and support, Italy’s response must go beyond headlines.

Policy and Training:

Trauma-informed training for police and judicial officers must be mandated nationwide, enforcement of protection orders needs serious reinforcement, as underscored by TG5’s court-watch investigations.

Investment in Urban Safety:

Gender-sensitive urban planning must become standard practice, local governments should collaborate with women’s groups to redesign unsafe areas and improve night-time public transport.

Public Awareness and Education:

Society must shift from blaming survivors to questioning the systems that silence them, TG5’s educational campaigns and community outreach serve as valuable models for spreading awareness on these issues.

Reporting harassment isn’t just difficult, it’s a gauntlet shaped by fear, systemic failure, and physical environments that enable violence, until we break down these barriers, women in Italy and worldwide will continue to pay the highest price.

The challenge is clear: build a society where women are safe not only to speak but to live, in every street, every neighborhood, every city.

Sources:
- ISTAT, “La violenza contro le donne dentro e fuori la famiglia,” 2023. https://www.istat.it
- TG5 News Reports on Feminicides and Violence, 2023-2025. https://www.tg5.mediaset.it
- UN Women, “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces,” 2024. https://www.unwomen.org

- European Institute for Gender Equality, “Gender and Urban Planning.” https://eige.europa.eu

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