Gender quotas within state-owned companies and on compulsory paternity leave

The Italian Parliament adopted further legislation on gender quotas within state-owned companies and on compulsory paternity leave. A new bill on flexible working arrangements for public and private sector employees has been tabled in Parliament. Additional financial resources to facilitate access of women-owned businesses to the banking system have been earmarked and will be rolled out in the coming months. Italy has also taken steps towards the implementation of the Extraordinary Action Plan against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence adopted in July 2015. A 12-million-Euro public Call for Proposals was launched in March 2016 to finance projects to improve shelter and assistance services to women survivors of violence and their children, as well as to enhance the local service network. A special paid leave has been introduced for working women survivors of violence who attend certified protection programmes. The first National Action Plan against the trafficking and exploitation of human beings was finalized in December 2015 and adopted in February 2016.