Italy’s government has greenlit a draft law to recognize femicide as a separate offense, instead of considering it as a form of homicide. The bill seeks to recognize acts of violence against women motivated by hatred or discrimination.
Under existing legislation, the killing of a woman amounts to aggravated crime only when perpetrated by a husband or family member. But under the new draft law, blessed by the government before International Women’s Day, femicide has been proposed as a crime resultant from gender-violence.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared the bill as “a considerable step forward to combat violence against women.” Minister of the Family Eugenia Roccella reiterated that the law recognizes the “asymmetry of power between men and women” and tries to increase the legal safeguards of the victims.
Although the government made a gesture, the draft law was denounced by opposition parties, which maintained that it prioritizes sanctions over prevention. The center-left Democratic Party declared, “Again, the government comes in after the violence, downplaying the need for education and prevention.”
The need to tackle femicide has been highlighted by shocking figures. Italy’s Interior Ministry reports that 113 femicides took place in 2024, 99 of which were perpetrated by relatives or partners. Of these, 61 women were killed by their current or former partners.
A high-profile case reawakening the national discussion was the killing of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin in November 2023 at the hands of her former boyfriend Filippo Turetta. In December, Turetta was sentenced to life imprisonment, further bringing into focus the rising concern about gender violence in Italy.
With the bill scheduled for parliamentary discussion, its passage could signal a change in Italy’s strategy against violence against women, with emphasis on legal acknowledgement and increased punishment for femicide.