Italian parliament votes unanimously to declare femicide a criminal offense.

Members of the Italian parliament have reached a unanimous decision to establish femicide – the killing of a woman due to her gender – as a separate legal offense to be punishable by life imprisonment.

In a meaningful gesture, the legislation was passed on the international day aimed at abolishing violence against women.

While discussions surrounding femicide laws had taken place in Italy previously, the tragic murder of Giulia Cecchettin by her former partner served as a catalyst for nationwide reform.

In late November 2022, the 22-year-old was fatally stabbed by Filippo Turetta, who subsequently concealed her remains in bags and disposed of them by a lake.

The murder garnered extensive media coverage until the perpetrator was apprehended, but it was the impactful reaction from Giulia’s sister, Elena, that left a lasting impression.

She described the killer not as a monster, but as the “well-adjusted son” of a heavily patriarchal society. These words mobilized crowds throughout Italy, calling for transformation.

Two years later, lawmakers have approved a femicide law following a long and impassioned parliamentary debate, positioning Italy as one of the few regions to define femicide as an independent crime.

Launched by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the law received support not only from her hard-right administration but also from opposition members. Many today donned red ribbons or jackets to honor victims of violence.

Moving forward, Italy will officially categorize every murder of a woman that results from gender motives as femicide.

“Femicides will be categorized, they’ll be analyzed in their true context, they will be recognized,” stated Judge Paola di Nicola, one of the law’s developers, in reference to its importance.

She participated in an expert group that reviewed 211 recent female homicides for shared traits before crafting the femicide legislation.

“Describing such offenses as stemming from obsessive love or extreme jealousy is misleading – it uses romantic, socially acceptable language,” the judge contends, surrounded by her scholarly work at her residence in Rome.

“This law positions us as the first in Europe to expose the actual motives of the offenders, which is hierarchal dominance and control.”

Italy will now join Cyprus, Malta, and Croatia as EU nations that have incorporated a legal definition of femicide into their criminal statutes.

There exists no universally accepted definition of femicide globally, complicating the measurement and comparison of statistics.

The Italian legislation will encompass murders classified as “acts of hatred, discrimination, control, domination, or subjugation of a woman as a woman,” as well as those occurring upon the termination of a relationship or to “restrict her individual freedoms.”

Recent police reports from Italy indicate a slight decrease in the number of women murdered last year, totaling 116, out of which 106 were reportedly motivated by gender. In the future, such incidents will be documented separately and activate an automatic life sentence meant as a deterrent.

Gino Cecchettin remains uncertain if such legislation would have safeguarded his daughter, as her murderer was already sentenced to life in prison.

However, he believes it is crucial to define and confront the issue.

“Previously, many individuals, especially from the center and far-right, avoided the term femicide,” Mr. Cecchettin expressed to the BBC. “Now, we inhabit a world where we can discuss it. It’s a modest step, but it is indeed a step.”

He emphasizes the importance of education over legislation.

Following Giulia’s death, her father describes having “an intense examination of my surroundings” that led him to establish a foundation in her name aimed at preventing others from experiencing the suffering his family has endured.

“I sought to understand what drove [Filippo],” Gino Cecchettin elaborated. “He was a scholar, a cherished son. Just an average person.”

What he discovered, he states, was a society saturated with stereotypes regarding women and concepts of male dominance, alongside young men having difficulty controlling their feelings.

His daughter’s former partner killed her in a premeditated attack after she declined to renew their relationship.

Mr. Cecchettin now visits schools and universities throughout Italy to engage with young people about Giulia and the importance of respect.

“If we equip them with the appropriate tools to navigate their lives, they will not behave like Filippo; instead, they are likely to adopt alternative approaches. They will not conform to the ideal of the Superman or Macho Man,” he hopes.

However, integrating those ‘tools’ into educational institutions – through a mandatory emotional and sexual education curriculum – has proven challenging. Far-right officials have opposed anything beyond optional sex education for older students. The Cecchettin Foundation aims to make these lessons mandatory and to begin them early, coinciding with young people’s exposure to the internet.

There are critics of the femicide law itself.

When the legislation was initially introduced earlier this year, one group labeled it a “toxic meatball.”

“There is no deficiency in protection, nor any legal void to bridge,” articulated law professor Valeria Torre from Foggia University.

She argues that the new femicide definition lacks clarity and could create complications for judicial enforcement.

Additionally, since most women in Italy are killed by current or former partners, proving gender as the motive may be problematic.

“I worry that the government merely wishes to convince the public that it’s addressing this issue,” she shared with the BBC. “What is truly needed is more financial commitment to solve this issue…to address the disparities of inequality in Italy.”

Even supporters of femicide legislation agree that it must be accompanied by much broader initiatives aimed at tackling gender inequality.

Italy’s social issues in this area are currently illustrated in the Museum of the Patriarchy, a thought-provoking exhibit in Rome.

Italy presently ranks 85th on the Global Gender Gap Index, among the lowest of all EU nations, with just over half of women participating in the workforce, to cite one example.

“For us, combating violence against women necessitates preventing such violence, and to prevent it, we must foster equality,” argues Fabiana Costantino of Action Aid Italy, which established the temporary museum to envision a future where male supremacy is consigned to history.

The exhibits feature a speaker broadcasting catcalls and a room displaying the names of women killed by men projected onto a wall.

“There are numerous forms of violence – akin to a pyramid,” Fabiana Costantino explains. “We need to dismantle the base to eradicate the problem at its most abhorrent level, which is femicide.”

The extensive parliamentary session on Tuesday concluded late into the night in Rome with a concluding statement from a government party representative promising that violence against women “will not be tolerated, nor will it go unpunished.”

The law was sanctioned by all 237 parliament members and met with a wave of applause.

“This symbolizes that there exists a collective political resolve in our country concerning the battle against violence against women,” asserts Judge Paola di Nicola, while acknowledging the road ahead is still long.

“It demonstrates that Italy is finally addressing the deep-rooted nature of violence against women. The initial impact is to prompt the nation to engage in discussions around an issue it has previously avoided.”

Additional reporting by Giulia Tommasi