Femicide in Italy: Its Exponential Rise and Impact
Women have become victims of an epidemic that society has failed to address: femicide. The term ‘femicide’ – which generally refers to when a woman is killed by a current or former partner – became so topical that an Italian encyclopedia named it as its word of the year in 2023. In 2022 alone, 126 women were killed in Italy. Almost half of the homicides were committed either by the partner or by the ex-partner of the victim, whereas in 34 percent of the cases, the killer was a relative of the victim. The surge in femicides is not just an Italian issue; the country's crisis has reached a point where outrage has to be paired with a reckoning with the cultural roots and implications of this violence.
Femicide most often occurs within the context of intimate relationships, overall driven by toxic masculinity, unequal power relations, and deeply rooted misogynistic values. Domestic violence, caused and exacerbated by the same patriarchal norms that have long shaped Italian society, is a crucial contributing factor to the ongoing crisis. The Italian National Research Council (CNR) has shared that more than 12 million or almost 51 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 84 have experienced physical or psychological violence at least once in their lifetime, but that only 5 percent have reported the incident. This normalisation of domestic violence and widespread abuse has led to an immediate need for societal, cultural and legal reforms. Following the continued manifestations of inhumane and brutal cases, generations of Italian citizens are acknowledging the urgency following the continued inhumane and brutal cases.
Names such as Sara Di Pietrantonio or Cristina Maioli are just two examples of inconceivable and terrorizing dynamics that horrify the nation. Di Pietrantonio was 22 when she was strangled and burned to death by an ex-boyfriend who could not accept the relationship was over. Maioli was 62 when she died; her husband bludgeoned her to death with a rolling pin while she was asleep, and eventually sliced her throat and cut her legs. Eventually, he was cleared of his charges because the court said he suffered a ‘raptus.’
Among the numerous femicide cases and legal debates that have rocked Italy, the November 2023 murder of Giulia Cecchettin stands out. Cecchettin, a 22-year-old university student, was found dead after her ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta stabbed her 20 times after stalking and abusing her for months. Her body was discovered a week after she had gone missing, while the brutality of her death and Turetta’s subsequent arrest in Germany captured nationwide attention, eliciting a wave of grief and anger. Despite this being one of thousands of femicides, it seemed to have an unparalleled impact, which led to a leap in historical consciousness that upheaved not only Italy’s political realm, but also in its culture and media.
The public’s response to Giulia Cecchettin’s death has been one of collective mourning, but it has also incentivized debates about violence against women and the normalization of toxic male behavior. While being accused of having excessively politicized the case, Giulia Cecchettin’s sister, Elena Cecchettin, became a powerful voice in this discussion through interviews and social media, publicly linking the murder to Italy’s deeply entrenched patriarchal culture. Specifically, Cecchettin has linked her sister’s killing to the normalisation of toxic male behavior. She recharacterises those who commit femicides as the ‘children’ of patriarchy and rape culture, rather than monsters, or in a situation like Maioli’s, men suffering from rage episodes. Elena Cecchettin’s conclusions remain pivotal to understanding the impact of the phenomena in Italy: the term ‘monster’ conveys an exception and a person for whom society does not bear high responsibility, whereas activists like Elena Cecchettin highlight that ‘femicide is not a crime of passion, but a crime of power.’
The rising instance of assaults and femicides has led to the Italian government’s passing several laws aimed at suppressing domestic violence and protecting victims. One of the most prominent is the ‘Codice Rosso’ or ‘Code Red’ law, passed in 2019, which mandates faster investigations and more severe punishments for domestic abusers. Following this legislation, prosecutors across Italy have reported a sharp increase in victims’ reporting of attacks, although this does not indicate a spike in attacks, rather a spike in reporting. This indicates that domestic violence against women is endemic in Italy, but that women with legal remedies are more likely to stop tolerating the situation.
This greater awareness and condemnation continues to inspire progress, but even five years post ‘Codice Rosso’-related changes, the statistics and dynamics of Italian femicides remain alarming. As reported by NGO Action Aid in the study called ‘Discounted Prevention’ (‘Prevenzione Sottocosto’), the resources dedicated to fighting violence against women in Italy have increased by 156% in the past 10 years, but the number of femicides have remained the same. Moreover, femicide is not recognized as a standalone crime in Italian law. Even experts in the field, such as the presidents of Donne in Rete Contro la Violenza , Italy’s most important network coordinating anti-violence centers, reveal the inefficiency of simply increasing funds and the persistently increased rate of violence. The overarching impact of the national problem also correlates to the children and families left behind; while the focus of the femicide crisis is often on the murdered women, the devastating impact on their families, can not be overlooked. Particularly their children, who are often witnesses and will face long-lasting emotional scars, need to be taken care of. Both the complexity and severity of the issue once again resurface, highlighting the remaining failures and efforts still needed to combat it.
Ultimately, femicide in Italy is not just a legal issue, but a societal crisis that reflects deep-rooted inequalities and systematic failures in Italy and many other European countries. While recent high-profile cases continue to bring the issue to the forefront of public consciousness, much work remains to be done to tackle the ramifications of this violence. The Italian government has made strides in altering its laws, but without a concerted focus on prevention and education, the cycle of violence and misogyny will continue. It is only through a multifaceted approach which not only addresses these crimes, but also challenges the norms perpetuating gender-based violence, that Italy can hope to prevent femicide and break free from generational failures, creating a safer and more just future.
Image courtesy of Camelia.boban via Wikimedia Commons, ©2023. Some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
