Gender-based violence: The Senate unanimously approves the femicide bill: life imprisonment for those who kill a woman.
The Senate has approved the bill on femicide unanimously , with 161 votes in favor. The approval of the measure was greeted with prolonged applause in the chamber. President Ignazio La Russa added: " I am extremely pleased with this result, which demonstrates how the Senate is capable of expressing itself on important issues regardless of affiliation . I thank all the senators." The bill must now go to the Chamber of Deputies for final approval.
The measure, promoted by the government and the result of a compromise between the parliamentary groups in the committee, introduces Article 577-bis into the Criminal Code , which defines the crime of femicide and provides for life imprisonment for anyone who causes the death of a woman "by committing the crime through acts of discrimination or hatred towards the victim because she is a woman, or if the crime is aimed at suppressing the exercise of the woman's rights, freedoms, or personality." Provisions regarding prison benefits for those convicted of femicide have also been introduced, along with further measures strengthening training requirements in the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence.
"The bill introducing, among other things, femicide as a new crime was approved unanimously. This is a very important measure because it finally recognizes the gravity of the conduct of those who kill a woman as an act of hatred or discrimination. It is a new and strong stance against those who consider women inferior beings. The League has been at the forefront of the fight against violence against women for years and has once again made an essential contribution to this measure . Naturally, I hope that the new measures will be correctly and rigorously implemented," commented League Senator Giulia Bongiorno , chair of the Senate Justice Committee and rapporteur of the measure.
"With the Senate's approval of the bill on femicide, Italy takes a decisive step in combating gender-based violence . The measure introduces the separate crime of femicide, motivated by domination, control, or denial of self-determination, which is not just a crime but a cultural and social phenomenon," Senator Gianni Rosa of the Brothers of Italy party noted in a statement. "We know well that a law alone will not be enough to stop violence against women. But we also know that without a law that recognizes the specificity of the phenomenon, we will continue to treat gender-based violence as a private, isolated, emergency matter. As Deputy Minister Sisto emphasized yesterday in the Senate, this is not a law that treats femicide as an emergency phenomenon. It is not an intervention to stem a situation ."
According to Rosa, "This bill approved today is a structural intervention that doesn't just introduce a crime but provides for a concrete strengthening of prevention and protection measures , such as: a thorough risk assessment in cases of violence; the possibility of applying precautionary measures more rapidly, including those restricting personal freedom; and the expansion of wiretaps in domestic violence proceedings. And it doesn't just address the justice system but also, as is right, prevention, the training of magistrates and judicial staff, and the protection of women . It's not just a legislative act," continued the parliamentarian elected in Basilicata, "but a cultural and political stance against the violence that kills dozens of women in Italy every year, often after years of reported and ignored abuse. And we can say that this stance transcends political lines and finds a convergence that shouldn't be surprising. This is simply the right measure. A strong signal from the Meloni government and the entire Parliament to clearly state that combating violence against women is a national priority ," she concluded.
Affari Italiani
