Anna Maria Agamben Federici: the commitment to recognising women’s rights, including those of migrant women

Abstract

Anna Maria Agamben (1899-1984) nel 1944, in occasione del congresso costitutivo delle Associazioni Cristiane Lavoratori Italiani (Acli), venne eletta delegata, la prima delegata femminile e partecipò alle riunioni per la nascita del Centro italiano femminile (Cif) di cui fu presidente (1944-1950). Eletta all’Assemblea Costituente, fece parte della “Commissione per la Costituzione”; nel 1948 deputata, fu membro della Commissione Lavoro e Previdenza sociale e dell’inchiesta sulla disoccupazione. Relatrice della legge sulla tutela fisica ed economica delle lavoratrici madri, propose la legge sulla vigilanza e controllo della stampa destinata ai minori e sulla disciplina  dell’apprendistato. Convinta del ruolo paritario della donna, operò per la sua promozione e per il pieno riconoscimento dei suoi diritti, anche di accedere alla Magistratura. Nel 1947 fondò l’Associazione Nazionale Famiglie Emigrati (Anfe) di cui fu presidente fino al 1981, finalizzata all’assistenza degli emigrati e delle loro famiglie. Anna Maria Agamben Federici (1899-1984) was elected delegate in 1944 at the founding congress of the Italian Christian Workers’ Association (Acli), becoming the first female delegate. She participated in meetings for the establishment of the Italian Women’s Centre (Cif), of which she was president from 1944 to 1950. Elected to the Constituent Assembly, she was a member of the ‘Commission for the Constitution’; in 1948, as a member of parliament, she was a member of the Labour and Social Security Commission and of the commission of inquiry into unemployment. As rapporteur for the law on the physical and economic protection of working mothers, she proposed the law on the supervision and control of press material intended for minors and on the regulation of apprenticeships. Convinced of the equal role of women, she worked for their advancement and for the full recognition of their rights, including access to the judiciary. In 1947, she founded the National Association of Emigrant Families (Anfe), of which she was president until 1981, with the aim of assisting emigrants and their families.