Italy's efforts to avoid falling victim to the European debt crisis has taken on a human toll in recent weeks, with a rash of suicides from those facing economic hardship and, starting this week, violent attacks against tax collectors.

Prime Minister Mario Monti, who took over as the head of a technocratic government last November, has pushed through several phases of austerity measures since coming to power, resulting in higher taxes, more limited government services, higher prices, smaller pension benefits and intense crackdowns on tax evasion.

Italians have already suffered from years of slow growth and poor economic prospects, but as the impacts of the austerity plans reaching rank-and-file, some of the results have been severe.

There are no official estimates on the number of suicides stemming directly from the economic crisis, but earlier this month a group of around 100 women claiming themselves as the widows of such men marched on a tax office in the central Italian city of Bologna, where a man had earlier set himself on fire to protest rising taxes.

Small businesses were feeling the pain the most, with dozens closing each day.

Meanwhile, dozens of protests have taken place around Italy, with groups calling for various remedies to the problems caused by the austerity strategies.

More recently, agents from Equitalia, the national tax collection authority, have found themselves under attack from militant groups.

Police, who have starting dispatching officers to protect Equitalia offices and agents, said the authority has become a focus point for public backlash against the austerity initiatives.

Last week, a Molotov cocktail exploded outside the Livorno offices of Equitalia and a mail bomb delivered to the Rome headquarters of the authority.

Last December, a similar mail bomb exploded on the desk of a general manager, tearing off part of his hand and injuring his face and chest.

Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri said the attacks against Equitalia were grave and that offenders would be tracked down and punished.

"Attacking Equitalia is the equivalent of attacking the Italian state," Cancellieri said.

All these incidents have been taken place as Italy teeters on the edge of what would be its fourth economic recession since 2001.

Earlier this week, Istat, the National Statistic Agency, reported that the Italian economy contracted by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of the year, the third consecutive quarter the economy shrank. By some definitions, one more quarter of negative growth would signal that the economy is in recession again.

To address the issue, Monti recently issued a statement of "unconditional support" for Equitalia and said that as tax compliance increases, the tax burden on those who pay their taxes would be reduced.

Italy's overall tax burden is 45.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product, a dramatic jump from 42.5 percent last year. Italy has the fourth highest tax burden in the European Union, and forecasts are that it will not start falling until 2015 at the earliest.

"We can and must discuss ways to reduce the economic burden on Italians and one way is to go after those who escape taxation," said Monti, who has launched several initiatives to identify tax evaders and make them pay, including well publicized raids on resorts and spas that focus on the super rich.