COFACE Families Europe’s member Genitori Tosti in Tutti i Posti is leading a campaign promoted by Caregiver Familiari Uniti (CFU), an alliance bringing together caregivers, organisations and individuals committed to defending caregivers’ rights.
For the first time in Italy, on 27th of January 2026, hundreds of family carers gathered in the streets of Rome, to take part in a demonstration demanding better rights and protection. The initiative was born from the urgent need to highlight the shortcomings of the new draft law presented by the Italian Minister for Disabilities and calling for a law that ensures economic security, prevents social isolation, and establishes structured protections for caregivers.
The demonstration was followed by a press conference attended by delegates from CFU and Genitori Tosti. During the conference, speakers emphasised that caregivers require real rights, adequate financial support, and reliable social security protections, in line with European standards and current research on caregiving.
In Italy, people who provide 24-hour care to a family member still lack sufficient protection. Many are forced to abandon their job, due to the nature of caregiving that requires their full attention. This leads to financial hardship, social isolation, and serious physical and mental health risks. The speakers also highlighted the effects of chronic stress related to caregiving, known as “caregiver burden” (physical, emotional, and financial stress, by individuals caring for chronically ill, disabled, or elderly loved ones), which leaves many people alone, without the freedom to make choices, and without a safety net.
The presence of COFACE Families Europe at the mobilisation was through a video message that brought a European perspective to the debate. The debate underlined the differences between Italy and several other EU Member States in terms of recognition and support for family carers. Read the news article about COFACE’s involvement here (In Italian).
In parallel with the mobilisation, CFU launched an online petition on the IoScelgo platform calling for the recognition of 24-hour carers as workers, creating a direct channel for public participation and advocacy.
Read further about the campaign here.
Read more about our member Genitori Tosti.
