Italy Has Officially Made Femicide A Crime With Life Imprisonment As Punishment
The law legally defines femicide as "an act of hatred, discrimination, domination, control, or subjugation of a woman as a woman."
Italy has officially made femicide – the murder of a woman or girl because of her gender – a crime, with a punishment of life in prison.
The move came after Giulia Cecchettin, a 22-year-old student was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend, in 2023.
Her ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, had wrapped her body in bags and dumped it by a lakeside.
The case shocked the country and sparked a conversation about the causes of violence against women in Italy’s patriarchal culture.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25 — the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women — the parliament unanimously approved the law to include femicide in Italy’s criminal law.
The law legally defines femicide as "an act of hatred, discrimination, domination, control, or subjugation of a woman as a woman."
It also applies to murders that occur when a woman or girl breaks off a relationship or to "limit her individual freedoms.”
The law also includes stronger measures against gender-based crimes including stalking and revenge porn, according to NPR.
Italy’s statistic agency recorded 106 femicides in 2024, with 62 of them being committed by partners or former partners.
Italy now joins Cyprus, Malta and Croatia as EU countries that have introduced a legal definition of femicide into their laws.
Nira Nyangweso
Meg Chen
Sofia Hou
