Italian Embassy's 'Ambassador for a Day' focuses on preventing violence against women

Diplomacy

Published: 08 Mar. 2024, 13:53 Updated: 11 Mar. 2024, 19:26

Italian Embassy's 'Ambassador for a Day' focuses on preventing violence against women

Ambassador of Italy to Korea Emilia Gatto, right, and the winner of this year's ″Ambassador for a Day″ event, Ewha Womans University student Jennifer Yaewon Lee, pose for a photo at the Italian Embassy in Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Monday. [EMBASSY OF ITALY]

Italy has been seeing a surge in social movements promoting women’s rights recently, especially instigated by the murder of Giulia Cecchettin, an Italian college student who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in November of last year. The case sparked nationwide protests and brought forth dialogue on domestic violence against women.

In consideration of that tragedy, the Italian Embassy in Seoul dedicated this year’s edition of “Ambassador for a Day,” an annual event hosted by the embassy, to the subject “Why Eliminating Violence Against Women Will Contribute to the Wellbeing of Men.”

“In light of recent events that have inflamed public opinion in our country and brought to light a strong need to find a lasting solution to this painful issue [we chose this subject],” said Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto in a written interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “The objective was to make the participants reflect on the idea that gender-based violence does not only affect women but has consequences for the whole society. It is not a zero-sum game; instead the elimination of violence against women can have positive consequences for men as well.”

The winner of this year’s “Ambassador for a Day” competition, Jennifer Yaewon Lee, wrote an essay on the subject and participated in a daylong series of events on Monday ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday.

“I knew that to benefit men, we needed to work on the root cause of violence and toxic masculinity,” said Lee in another written interview. “From there, I worked my way to my personal conclusion that society does not provide enough chances for men to learn how to healthily process their emotions and that this leads them to lash out in unhealthy ways. I strongly believe in initiatives to help all of society in learning healthy coping mechanisms, and that this issue is very much a relevant, pressing matter.”

Participating in the “Ambassador for a Day” events hosted by the Italian Embassy was “a dream come true” for Lee, who has wanted to work in the field of international relations since she was very young.

“Taking in such a vast amount of information, processing it, and being able to speak about it [seems to be] an important part of [being an ambassador] and definitely a huge challenge,” said Lee.

Ambassador of Italy to Korea Emilia Gatto, center, and the winner of this year's ″Ambassador for a Day″ event, Ewha Womans University student Jennifer Yaewon Lee, center left, take part in a staff meeting at the Italian Embassy in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Monday. [EMBASSY OF ITALY]

The 140-year relations between Korea and Italy, as shown through an exhibition at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, was also informative for Lee, seeing life in the late part of the Joseon Dynasty through an Italian photographer’s camera lens and perspective. As the two countries are both at the forefront of technology fields, further cooperation in the future between Korea and Italy is something that the student also wished to see.

“Italy and Korea are both leaders in technology – Italy in the space frontier and Korea in semiconductors and software,” said Lee. “Both these sectors are closely intertwined with the future, and I am excited to see what kinds of bridges we will build when these two fields converge. The two countries already have histories of helping each other, Italy during the Korean war and Korea during the Covid-19 pandemic. In our ever-evolving relations, the two countries can collaborate on aid to humankind itself, for humankind’s future.”

Conditions needed for women to be more active in the diplomatic field were also discussed in line with the “Ambassador for a Day” event hosted by Ambassador Gatto and International Women’s Day.

“I think the main obstacle nowadays for young people approaching a diplomatic career is the prospect of possibly living far away from home and not being able to find a partner willing to do the same,” said Ambassador Gatto. “This has become in the years more and more a problem that concerns both men and women; new technology and the possibility of remote working will surely be in the future tools to deal with these issues.”

“In my own experience, women are often worried about their career’s sustainability,” said Lee. “We feel like we have to choose either family or work, and I believe that that is not a choice someone should have to make. This is especially highlighted in diplomacy and foreign affairs, as people need to move from place to place, and be ready to answer to crises at a moment’s notice. Society as a whole needs to focus on improving parents’ rights, both for women and men, so that everyone can pursue their dreams, in both their careers and their personal life.”

Gatto also praised Korea for being “a best practice” when it comes to gender equality in the diplomatic field, as more than 40 percent of the diplomatic staff are women. Despite Italy’s lower rate at less than 25 percent, Gatto noted some outstanding Italian diplomatic figures such as Samantha Cristoforetti, the first European female commander of the International Space Station, and Fabiola Giannotti, the first female director-general of the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

The annual “Ambassador for a Day” event is sure to continue in the future, as it is an “innovative and proactive way” to celebrate International Women’s Day, according to Ambassador Gatto.

“In my view, it is very important to address gender equality issues in a constructive and cooperative way,” said Gatto. “The goal is to empower young women and to give them the chance of a direct confrontation with high-level figures from different backgrounds, scientific, institutional, commercial, and cultural, experiencing first-hand the life of an ambassador.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]