Italy Passes New Law Officially Recognizing Femicide As A Crime
Italy has officially added femicide — the killing of a woman because of her gender — to its criminal code, approving a law that punishes the crime with a life sentence. The move follows years of pressure from activists, families and lawmakers, and comes after several high-profile killings forced the country to confront deep-rooted gender violence.
The vote passed unanimously in the lower chamber, with 237 MPs supporting the bill. Many lawmakers wore red in honor of victims, and the decision landed on the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the outcome showed “political cohesion against the barbaric nature of violence against women,” adding that her government had already “doubled funding for antiviolence centres and shelters, promoted an emergency hotline and implemented innovative education and awareness-raising activities.”
Under the new law, killings defined as acts of “hatred, discrimination, domination, control, or subjugation of a woman as a woman,” or murders linked to ending a relationship or restricting a woman’s freedom, will be counted as femicide. Judge Paola di Nicola, one of the experts behind the legislation, said the change means “femicides will be classified, they will be studied in their real context, they will exist.”
But not everyone agrees on how far the law goes. Some legal scholars argue that the definition is too vague and will be difficult for courts to apply. Others say Italy is focusing too heavily on punishment and not enough on long-term fixes to the issue like equal pay, better job opportunities for women and mandatory emotional and sexual education in schools — which still isn’t standard across the country. Rights groups, including Non Una di Meno, say the government must address “sexual and emotional education” and the broader “economic wellbeing of women” if it wants to reduce violence, not just punish it after the fact.
Despite the disagreements, supporters say the unanimous vote signals a rare moment of unity in a country that has long struggled to even name the problem. As Judge di Nicola put it, Italy is “finally speaking about violence against women having deep roots,” though many warn it will take much more than a new law to change those roots.
