EDELA AWARD, A LIGHT ON THE ORPHANS OF FEMICIDE

The Hon. Martina Semenzato, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into Femicide and All Forms of Violence, receives the Edela Award from Roberta Beolchi, Founder and President of the Edela Association, alongside lawyer Cataldo Calabretta, host of the ceremony,

Roberta Floris, journalist and anchor of Tg5, with Roberta Beolchi, founder and President of the Edela Association. Floris was honoured for her work in covering current affairs and social issues.

Left: Summer Skye Bechini, 12, the young artist appointed Edela Ambassador for the new generations, with Roberta Beolchi, President of the Edela Association. Right: Sofia Donadio, 16, survivor of the Crans-Montana tragedy, receives the Edela Award from Roberta Beolchi.

Actress and television host Barbara De Rossi, one of the most recognisable voices in the public commitment against violence against women, with Roberta Beolchi, founder and President of the Edela Association.

Roberta Beolchi, founder and President of the Edela Association, with Patrizia Marin. PAM Senior Advisor USA

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- To shine a light on the orphans of femicide, to keep attention high on the tragedy of gender-based violence, and to honour the professional skills and testimonies of those who, through their commitment, help build a culture of prevention and responsibility. This is the meaning of the fourth edition of the Edela Award, hosted at Palazzo Wedekind in Rome.

After the great commitment of these years in Italy, the association is now building an international network, because children are children everywhere, and they are always the most vulnerable members of our society. Edela is organising a first exploratory mission to the United States, in collaboration with Patrizia Marin.

The event represents one of the most significant moments in the activity of the Edela Association, an organisation founded and chaired by Roberta Beolchi and created with a precise mission: to support the orphans of femicide and to accompany foster families along the difficult path that follows the loss of the mother.

Edela is a non-profit association, founded in 2018, that operates throughout Italy to protect and support the orphans of femicide and their foster families, offering concrete help to children and caregivers and promoting awareness and prevention initiatives. Its work has also been presented to the Italian Parliament's Committee of Inquiry into Femicide. More information is available on the association's website: www.associazioneedela.it

Roberta Beolchi has transformed her personal and civic commitment into a structured project of assistance, awareness and support, keeping at the centre of the association's activity a fundamental conviction: femicide does not end with the death of the victim, but produces deep and lasting consequences in the lives of the children and of those who take care of them.

The award ceremony was hosted by lawyer Cataldo Calabretta, university lecturer in media law, expert in crime and court reporting, and a professional engaged for years in the world of information and public communication. An expertise developed across law, communication and news reporting that Calabretta also places at the service of the Edela Association as a member of its Scientific Committee.

His presence as host of the ceremony represented a testimony to a professional commitment aimed at promoting accurate information on the phenomena of gender-based violence and on the consequences they produce for victims and their families.

The Edela Award was presented to prominent personalities coming from the worlds of public institutions, the judiciary, academia, the media, culture, civil society and social engagement, all united by the will to contribute, through their own role, to greater collective awareness.

Among the institutional recognitions was the one to the Hon. Martina Semenzato, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry into Femicide and All Forms of Violence, for her constant commitment on the issue of gender-based violence and the protection of victims and of the orphans of femicide.

Particular attention was given to the world of justice and prevention. Among the awardees was Claudia Eccher, lawyer and member of the High Council of the Judiciary, for her institutional commitment on the issues of justice and the protection of rights.
The recognition also went to Valerio de Gioia, magistrate, for his professional commitment on the issues of justice and the protection of victims; to Anna Maria Giannini, criminologist and professor at Sapienza University, for her scientific contribution to the study of criminal phenomena and violence; and to criminal lawyer Laura Sgrò, for her professional and civic commitment to the protection of victims and rights.

A special recognition was conferred on the very young artist Summer Skye Bechini, 12 years old, appointed Edela Ambassador for the new generations. The young artist created a canvas inspired by the association's activity, destined for an auction whose proceeds will be donated to projects dedicated to the orphans of femicide.

An award also went to Sofia Donadio, 16 years old, survivor of the Crans-Montana tragedy, who dedicated the recognition to the victims who did not survive and to all those who have had to face the consequences of the tragedy.

Among the figures awarded for their commitment to raising social awareness was Barbara De Rossi, actress, television host and for years one of the most recognisable voices in the public commitment against violence against women. Through her television work and numerous awareness initiatives, including hosting Amore Criminale, De Rossi has helped bring to the attention of the general public the stories of the victims and the need to recognise and counter gender-based violence.

Recognition also went to Ettore Bassi, a talented actor and performer of great versatility, for years a protagonist of cinema, television and theatre, for his artistic path and for the sensitivity shown towards issues of social relevance.

Also awarded was Matteo Bassetti, physician and science communicator, for his commitment to communication and awareness on the issues of health and prevention.

For the media, awards went to Roberta Floris, journalist and anchor of Tg5, for her work in covering current affairs and social issues, and to Giada Fazzalari, journalist and editor-in-chief of L'Avanti della Domenica, for her commitment in the world of information and communication.

Among the protagonists honoured with the Edela Award were also Valeria Altobelli, artist, television host, university lecturer and engaged for years in social and charitable activities, and Francesca Pascale, activist and esteemed public figure committed to civil rights, inclusion and the protection of the most vulnerable people.

A recognition was conferred on Nicola Graziano, President of UNICEF Italy, for his commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of children and adolescents, particularly significant in the context of an initiative dedicated to children and young people who have lost their mother because of violence.

Among the awardees were also Chantal Hamende, Executive Director of Fondazione Terna, for her professional commitment and her attention to the issues of social responsibility; Caterina Belletti, President of FS International; Anna Silvia Angelini, writer and President of Aide, Giacomo Coppola and Jessica Dalla Fontana, for the contribution offered through their respective activities and professional organisations.

A particular recognition was given to Luca Massaccesi, President of the Observatory on Bullying and Youth Distress (Osservatorio Bullismo e Disagio Giovanile), for his commitment to the prevention of bullying, distress and the forms of violence that involve the younger generations. Collecting the Edela Award together with him were Annalisa Minetti, singer, athlete and protagonist of numerous social initiatives, and Alessia Pieretti, world pentathlon champion, who shared the recognition and the meaning of the evening.

The Award was also conferred on Javier Zanetti, former captain and current Vice-President of Inter and President of Fondazione Pupi, who received the recognition through a representative, for his commitment in the field of solidarity and the protection of children.

The award citations were read by actress Eva Lucchini, who has brought her own artistic path close to Edela's activity through the musical Regina dei cuori, helping to support the association's summer project dedicated to six children orphaned by femicide.

The awards, created by artist Letizia Moroni, are inspired by the dragonfly, chosen as a symbol of transformation and rebirth: a particularly meaningful image to represent the path that Edela seeks to build alongside the children and young people who have lost their mother because of violence.

Also present at the ceremony was Valentina Belvisi, orphan of femicide, who has transformed her personal experience into a concrete commitment alongside Edela, becoming a voice for the orphans of femicide and for women who are victims of violence.

The fourth edition of the Edela Award thus reaffirmed a need that also represents the profound reason for the association's activity: not to leave the victims alone and, above all, not to leave alone the children who remain.

Because femicide is not only the story of a death. It is also the story of those who must go on living. And it is precisely on that "after" that Edela chooses to shine its light. Marco Sancandi, orphan of femicide, also took part in the ceremony, and his presence gave it a particularly intense meaning: a concrete testimony of what remains after the violence and of the need to accompany those who, after losing a mother, must find the strength and the opportunities to rebuild their future.

Patrizia Marin
Marcopoloexperience FZ LLC
+971 56 800 3394
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