US EditionItaly now recognizes the crime of femicide and punishes it with life in prison
Italy’s new law punishes femicide with life imprisonment and includes tougher measures on stalking and revenge porn, following 106 femicides recorded in 2024, Istat said.
- On Tuesday, Italy's parliament approved a law adding femicide to the criminal code, punishable by life imprisonment, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women .
- After Giulia Cecchettin's killing, public outrage and protests intensified, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government pushed the bill following violent attacks targeting women.
- The law defines femicide as murders tied to hatred, discrimination, domination, control, or limiting a woman's freedoms, while Judge Paola di Nicola's expert commission reviewed 211 cases and the package also includes stalking and revenge porn protections.
- With 237 votes, MPs across the aisle backed the measure, concluding Tuesday's session with applause that Italian deputies showed common political will, Judge Paola di Nicola said.
- With rights groups urging prevention, opponents said the bill focuses on penalties while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, `We have doubled funding for anti-violence centres and shelters, promoted an emergency hotline and implemented innovative education and awareness-raising activities.
101 Articles
101 Articles
Femicide: Italy’s newest crime
The Italian parliament has voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – distinct from murder and punished with a life sentence.Previous attempts to pass a law that specifically criminalised the murder of a woman motivated by her sex had failed to gather enough support. Then the horrific, headline-dominating murder of Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend in November 2023 “shocked the country into action”, said the BBC.Over 90% of the 1…
Several cases have shaken Italy in recent years and sparked legislative action.
Murders of women motivated by their gender will now automatically trigger a life sentence in Italy.
A terrible crime that shook the whole of Italy has contributed to the tightening of criminal law.
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