ROME (AP) — Italy’s parliament on Tuesday permitted a regulation that introduces femicide into the nation’s felony regulation and punishes it with life in jail.
The vote coincided with the worldwide day for the elimination of violence in opposition to ladies, a day designated by the UN Common Meeting.
The regulation received bipartisan assist from the center-right majority and the center-left opposition within the ultimate vote within the Decrease Chamber, passing with 237 votes in favor.
The regulation, backed by the conservative authorities of Premier Giorgia Meloni, is available in response to a collection of killings and different violence focusing on ladies in Italy.
It consists of stronger measures in opposition to gender-based crimes together with stalking and revenge porn.
Excessive-profile instances, such because the 2023 homicide of college pupil Giulia Cecchettin, have been key in widespread public outcry and debate concerning the causes of violence in opposition to ladies in Italy’s patriarchal tradition.
“Now we have doubled funding for anti-violence facilities and shelters, promoted an emergency hotline and carried out modern training and awareness-raising actions,” Meloni stated Tuesday. “These are concrete steps ahead, however we received’t cease right here. We should proceed to do way more, each day.”
Whereas the center-left opposition supported the regulation in parliament, it careworn that the federal government method solely tackles the felony facet of the issue whereas leaving financial and cultural divides unaddressed.
Italy’s statistics company Istat recorded 106 femicides in 2024, 62 of them dedicated by companions or former companions.
The controversy over introducing sexual and emotional training in faculties as a solution to forestall gender-based violence has turn out to be heated in Italy.
A regulation proposed by the federal government would ban sexual and emotional training for elementary college students and require specific parental consent for any classes in highschool.
The ruling coalition has defended the measure as a solution to defend youngsters from ideological activism, whereas opposition events and activists have described the invoice as “medieval.”
“Italy is considered one of solely seven international locations in Europe the place intercourse and relationship training isn’t but obligatory in faculties, and we’re calling for it to be obligatory in all faculty cycles,” stated the pinnacle of Italy’s Democratic Get together, Elly Schlein. “Repression isn’t sufficient with out prevention, which might solely begin in faculties.”
