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ROME, Nov. 25-- Several events were held in Italy to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Monday. A bench dyed in red -- to recall femicides in the country -- was erected in the courtyard of the Italian parliament, in a ceremony attended by lawmakers. The facade of the assembly building was also lit up in orange to join the campaign "Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape" launched by the United Nations. In the same hours, a rally crossed the streets of the Italian capital to urge actions against a phenomenon that has proved impervious to attempts to curb it so far. Similar rallies and awareness initiatives were seen in other major cities in the country. A larger number of people -- between 50,000 and 100,000 according to local media's estimates -- took to the streets of Rome against gender violence on Saturday. Italian President Sergio Mattarella acknowledged there was "still much to do" against the problem. "Every woman should feel (public) institutions are close," Mattarella said in a declaration released by his office on Monday. "Much has been done within our country... Nonetheless, gender violence has not stopped being a public emergency, and for this reason awareness of the phenomenon must keep growing," Mattarella stressed. MOST FEMICIDES COMMITTED BY MEN The president's warning reflected the situation on the ground. | 
