A new dimension of
freedom for women in prison through job traineeship
Union of Italy
Italian Soroptimists endeavoured to focus their efforts in promoting gender equality
through two main objectives: education and economic empowerment.
Il Club Bergamo è uno dei 50 Club Italiani che ha partecipato al progetto
Through a collective action of Soroptimist clubs, the Union of Italy initiated a national project in
order to improve the future of women in prison granting support through professional training
courses and working activities with a “trainer”. At the end of the training women receive a final
certificate to be used in the employment market with the help of social cooperatives inside and
outside prisons. The Protocol (Agreement) signed by the Union of Italy in October 2017 and renewed in 2019
with the Ministry of Justice was fundamental to allow the collaboration between the clubs and Prison Administrations.
The expectation of thiscollaboration is to give women an opportunity to achieve economic emancipation inside the
prison and give them better perspectives for their return into society through economic independence at the end of imprisonment.
Concretely, • 50 clubs have joined and organized 60 training courses (hairdresser, ice-cream maker, dressmaker, librarian, aromatic
plant grower),
• 30 penitentiary institutions equal to 60 % of all Italian prisons with a female section were involved,
• 30 partners and companies supported and contributed to the project,
• 350 women attended training courses (12% of 2.500 detainees - also mothers with children) obtaining a certificate-diploma, 21
of them now have a job,
• To set up workplaces and rooms, 20 clubs donated the necessary equipment and appliances.
• The Soroptimists have engaged in mentoring to follow the prisoner trainees in order to continuously evaluate the acquired
knowledge after 6 months or one year after the course. Finally, the Soroptimists launched an action at the National Testimonials Conference in the Bollate Prison of Milan called “solidarity gift” which enable them to raise 30.000 € allocated to this national project.