McDonald's announces the participation of all its 700 restaurants in Italy in the "You are not alone, let us help" initiative. A unanimous and heartfelt participation that contributes to keeping the spotlight on a very current phenomenon such as that of violence against women. Thanks to their capillarity throughout the territory, the brand's restaurants can in fact help spread and amplify as much as possible the tools to support victims, such as the toll-free national number 1522.

In the bathrooms of all the brand's restaurants in Italy, stickers are displayed reminding women who find themselves in contexts of violence of the existence of 1522, the national toll-free number - promoted by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Department for Equal Opportunities - which every day, 24 hours a day, welcomes requests for help and support from victims of violence and stalking with specialized operators. A way to promote awareness of the initiative by making all the restaurants distributed throughout Italy available, which by welcoming over 1.2 million citizens every day, can perform an important communication function for a message that must be able to reach as many people as possible possible.

Since 1 July 2020, the National Anti-Violence and Stalking Number 1522 has been managed by Differenza Donna with the aim of developing a broad system action for the emergence and fight against violence inside and outside the home. According to the latest data released by Istat, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Italy 31.5% of women have suffered some form of physical or sexual violence during their lives; and the most serious forms of violence are exercised by partners or ex-partners, relatives or friends. Added to these are the data relating to feminicides - according to data collected by Istat 106. Access to emergency rooms also illustrates the current state: over 14,400 in 2022, equal to +13% compared to 2021.

“Our commitment to support the fight against violence against women - started with a pilot project in Rome, then extended to Milan and Bari this year - today involves all 700 McDonald's restaurants in Italy. We are very proud of this, because our restaurants can be an important amplifier for increasing awareness of a fundamental service such as that of the National Number 1522”, commented Delia Ciccarelli, Impact Director of McDonald's Italia. “Even a simple but concrete gesture like putting up a sticker can have a great impact and, as a company present throughout Italy, with over 1.2 million customers every day, we feel the responsibility to support these initiatives and do the our part on such urgent issues".

"We immediately welcomed McDonald's initiative with enthusiasm because we know how important it is to spread 1522 - the national anti-violence and stalking number of the Equal Opportunities Department. We, who manage it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, listen to women, girls , fathers, brothers who need help and we know that we can give them, with the network of Anti-Violence Centres, support capable of saving lives", declared Elisa Ercoli , president of the Differenza Donna association. "McDonald's wanted to make a joint work with its licensees and this has made the 1522 sticker campaign even more powerful. We are convinced that, for a large company, being a protagonist in actions to combat violence against women, including information, can be a a real source of pride and satisfaction. We at Differenza Donna fully recognize this."