Italy adds ‘femicide’ to the criminal code to curb violence against women | Women News

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has supported a bill to impose life imprisonment for ‘femicide’.

Italy’s parliament has formally added the crime of femicide – the intentional killing of women and girls based on gender – to its criminal code, punishable by life in prison.

The bill was approved unanimously on Tuesday, according to Italian public broadcaster RAI, which Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as a sign of “political solidarity against the barbaric nature of violence against women.”

Maloney’s government has supported the bill from the beginning and has supported other legislation, such as anti-stalking laws, to protect women. there is also parliament A bill is being debated that would ban sex without “free and genuine consent”.

“We have doubled funding for anti-violence centers and shelters, boosted an emergency hotline and implemented innovative education and awareness-raising activities,” Meloni said, according to the Associated Press news agency. “These are solid steps forward, but we won’t stop there. We must continue to do much more every day.”

The vote also coincides with the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

There were 106 femicides recorded in Italy last year, 62 of which were committed by a partner or ex-partner, the AP reported, citing Italy’s statistics agency.

According to UN Women, the numbers are in line with global trends showing that nearly two-thirds of female murders were committed by a partner or family member.

The persistent problem of violence against women came to national attention in Italy in November 2023 when Giulia Cecchini, a 22-year-old university student, was stabbed to death by her boyfriend. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

Rights groups in Italy, such as the gender-based movement Non Una di Meno or Not One Less, say Meloni’s government is focusing too much on punishment rather than preventing violence.

Italy is one of the few countries in the European Union where sex education is not mandatory in public school systems, and many programs require parental consent.

Nonna Una Di Meno said this week that the government should focus on “sexual and emotional education” as well as “women’s economic well-being”.