We have seen and heard far too many stories of men manipulating, controlling, and being violent toward women. In my native country, Italy, 70 women had already been murdered in 2025 by the hand of their male partners. Every year, around 100 women lose their lives after long periods of harassment, bullying, stalking, and physical violence.
These men force women to cut all contact with friends, relatives, and even parents, treating them as if they were property. Such behaviour is deeply rooted in patriarchal structures that have governed for centuries, sustained by a persistent lack of emotional intelligence and education about respect, empathy, and relationships.
Even in families where no violence has ever been perpetrated, a man can still become a future abuser. I once heard someone say it must be mothers' fault — that they raise their sons with too much leniency and become, somehow, involuntary accomplices. I do not believe this is the main factor. Families certainly carry great responsibility in a child's education, but so do schools, media, and society as a whole. Politics, social platforms, and television all share collective responsibility for shaping how people understand love, equality, and respect.
Children should learn about sexuality, diversity, compassion, and boundaries from an early age. If a child offends or bullies a classmate, that is already a red flag, and failing to address it can lead to more serious behaviour later in life.
The same dynamic applies to toxic relationships. They often begin with small acts of verbal aggression that escalate into psychological and physical violence, and, tragically, sometimes to murder.
Many women do not report abuse immediately. They hope to help their partners, justify them, or even blame themselves. But the truth is harsh: there is no helping those who refuse to see others as equals. These men believe themselves superior, incapable of accepting rejection, and willing to destroy lives, even at the cost of their own freedom.
The only lasting way to change this is through education, awareness, and collective responsibility. Education must start early, at home, in schools, and throughout society.
But education does not end there. The workplace too can be a powerful space for learning and transformation. Organisations should promote emotional intelligence, inclusivity, and respect through leadership development and ongoing awareness programmes. When companies invest in these values, they do not just create safer workplaces — they help shape a more conscious and compassionate society.
Parents, teachers, institutions, media, and every one of us have a role to play in shaping a culture based on empathy, equality, and respect. Only by teaching these values consistently can we hope to break the cycle of non-love and create a world where differences are celebrated, not feared.
Next in the series: Part 2 — LGBTQIA+ and Sexuality: The Great Prejudice