Italy Enacts Landmark Law Defining Femicide as a Crime

Wed Nov 26 2025 04:44:15 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a significant move to combat violence against women, the Italian Parliament unanimously votes to recognize femicide as a distinct crime, an action reflecting changes in societal attitudes towards gender-based violence.

The Italian Parliament has made history by voting unanimously to classify femicide—the gender-motivated murder of women—as a distinct crime punishable by life imprisonment. This decision coincided with global efforts to eliminate violence against women and was spurred by high-profile cases that have shocked the nation. The new law stipulates that all killings of women motivated by gender will be recorded as femicide, aiming to create a comprehensive understanding of gender-based violence in Italy.

Deputies in the Italian parliament have voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide – the murder of a woman, motivated by gender – as a distinct law to be punished with a life sentence.

In a symbolic move, the bill was approved on the day dedicated to the elimination of violence against women worldwide.

The idea of a law on femicide had been discussed in Italy before but the murder of Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend was a tragedy that shocked the country into action.

In late November 2022, the 22-year-old was stabbed to death by Filippo Turetta, who then wrapped her body in bags and dumped it by a lakeside.

The killing was headline news until he was caught, but it was the powerful response of Giulia's sister, Elena, that has endured.

The murderer was not a monster, she said, but the healthy son of a deeply patriarchal society. They were words that brought crowds out across Italy demanding change.

Two years on, MPs have voted for a law on femicide after a long and passionately debated session of parliament. It makes Italy one of very few places to categorise femicide as a distinct crime.

Introduced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the law was backed by her own hard-right government, as well as opposition MPs. Many wore red ribbons or red jackets today to remember the victims of violence.

From now on, Italy will record every murder of a woman that is motivated by her gender as femicide.

Judge Paola di Nicola, one of the authors of the new law, expressed that femicides will be classified and studied in their real context, signifying a substantial shift in addressing gender-based violence.

Italy joins Cyprus, Malta and Croatia as EU member states that have introduced a legal definition of femicide in their criminal codes.

The law will apply to murders driven by hatred, discrimination, domination, control, or subjugation of a woman as well as those occurring when she tries to assert her individual freedoms.

Despite the progress, there are concerns about the ambiguity of the law and its enforcement. Critics argue that defining femicide too broadly may make it difficult for judges to implement the law accurately.

Nonetheless, this legislative change is seen as a critical step forward in acknowledging and combating femicide, with hopes that it will encourage a broader societal shift in attitudes towards violence against women.