Anita Dobelli Zampetti

Anita Dobelli Zampetti (1865 – after 1931) was an Italian teacher, writer, women's rights activist, and pacifist. Born in Gardone, Lombardy, she grew up in Rome. She taught English and Italian at the women's normal school and became active in the Consiglio Nazionale delle Donne Italiane (CNDI, National Council of Italian Women), serving on its executive board. One of the founders of the (CNPF, National Committee for Women's Suffrage) she fought for women's suffrage. Although she was a secretary of the CNPF from 1908 to 1915, she left the organization because of its refusal to object to Italy's involvement in World War I. Joining the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) upon its founding in 1915, she served as correspondance secretary for the national branch from 1915 to 1921 and as chair of the organization's Rome branch.

Among the causes Dobelli championed were the socio-political empowerment of women to enable their independence. She fought for illegitimate children of soldiers to be recognized and protected and for the state to provide for women and children during the war. She protested against holding prisoners of war and advocated for their release. Her actions were viewed by the authorities as unpatriotic and she was regularly summoned for questioning by the police, surveilled, and her mail was searched. Her articles about social issues were published in women's and socialist journals. She also translated works of foreign authors who criticized social norms, such as Edmund Dene Morel and Upton Sinclair, into Italian. Provided by Wikipedia