It all starts with a red whistle that the municipal councilor for public education, youth policies and equal opportunities, Marina Adamo , used to keep in her pocket as a girl "as a concrete and effective tool in case of danger". That whistle today becomes the symbol of the awareness campaign to combat gender violence of the Municipality of Cagliari, entitled "Whistle the end" .
The advert opens with the desperate screams of a woman. In the background, the sounds of beatings, stabbings and the sound of a newborn crying can be distinguished. Meanwhile, the key words of the social drama scroll across the screen. This all goes on for about twenty seconds, before being interrupted by the red whistle and the invitation to report any form of violence, both by victims and witnesses: "It's certainly an impactful video", comments the mayor Paolo Truzzu , «which will probably cause discussion , and if that happens we will be happy. The task of communication is to make people compare."
Then the mayor adds: «Today, also in light of the recent and unfortunately continuous news events, the message is clear, just as the administration's desire to create greater awareness is clear, not only so that these episodes do not repeat themselves, but also to give concrete tools to those who are victims or witnesses of cases of violence , so that we do not remain silent. I believe that the work we all have to do", he concludes, "is mainly cultural: what must be understood is that none of us owns other people, everyone is free and freedom and love cannot be scary, on the contrary, they must give courage ".
The whistle, the protagonist of the video, was not chosen by chance: «The sound of a whistle», explains councilor Adamo, « unequivocally attracts attention, while a faint voice in an emergency is not enough . The sound of a whistle is loud as is the impact of the video on purpose, but it was necessary to decline it in this way, also given the historical moment in which we are living. The entire communication campaign", he underlines, "will last a month and will also see the involvement of the city's schools, because ".
