The fathers' rights movement (a movement dedicated to achieving equal rights to custody of children) in Italy consists of a number of diverse pressure groups, ranging from charities (defined as ONLUS in the Italian Law) and self-help groups to civil disobedience activists, who started to obtain wide publicity in 2003.
The movement's origin can be traced to 1984 when Papa' Separati was founded in Emilia. At the local level, many activists spend much time providing support for newly separated fathers, most of whom are highly distraught. Although some have been accused of being sexist by some commentators and family lawers, these groups also campaign for better treatment for excluded mothers, women in second marriages, other step-parents and grandparents - all of whom claim to suffer from discrimination regarding custody and/or visitation with their child(ren) and grandchild(ren).
The most important charities in Italy which have formed a federation called Fe.N.Bi and an activist movement called Armata dei padri are:
