Italian opposition to work alongside Meloni to fight femicide

The tragic death of young Giulia Cecchettin, killed by her ex-boyfriend, has united Italy’s political parties in combating the growing number of femicides, with Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein calling on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to work together to pass a law on the issue.

In her call, Schlein (S&D) urged for greater commitment from men and not just women, citing the rise in “toxic patriarchal culture” as the reason behind increasing femicide rates.

“At least in the fight against this slaughter of women and girls, let’s leave aside the political clash and try to make the country take a step forward”, said Schlein, who insists on introducing “education in respect and affectivity” in schools.

“If action is not already taken in schools and in the culture to eradicate the violent and criminal idea of control and possession over women’s bodies and lives, it will always be too late”, she added.

Italy already has a law against femicide called ‘Code Red’, which the Meloni government is currently strengthening.

Meloni did not respond to Schlein’s call but expressed her condolences to the Cecchettin family, calling for full light to be shed on the crime and anticipating government intervention.

“I followed the updates on the case with apprehension and, until the end, I hoped for a different outcome. The discovery of Giulia’s lifeless body is heartbreaking news (…) Every single woman killed because she is ‘guilty’ of being free is an aberration that cannot be tolerated, and that pushes me to continue on the path taken to stop this barbarity”, Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia/ECR) said.

The bill to strengthen measures to protect women at risk through increased prevention has already been unanimously approved by the House and will be presented to the Senate next Wednesday.

The measures in the bill include a warning, an electronic bracelet, a minimum distance, arrest even in the case of “deferred flagrancy”, and strict deadlines for the judicial assessment of the risk and the application of preventive measures.

Family Minister Eugenia Roccella also recalled that the government had increased funding for the anti-violence plan and the protection of female victims of violence and that she had prepared an awareness campaign in schools, together with the dissemination of the anti-violence hotline 1522.

“Our response is not only heartbreak, unspeakable, for a chain of deaths to which a new horror is added each time. Our response is decisive action,” said Roccella.

According to the report published by the Criminal Analysis Service of the Central Directorate of the Judiciary, Italy has recorded 285 murders between January 2023 and today, of which 102 are female victims, most of them killed in domestic settings.

According to the report, 53 women were killed by their partners or ex-partners, and compared to 2022, crimes committed against women in the family have increased by 4%.

A recent report by ActionAid also highlights a problem in allocating resources to fight the phenomenon, which has increased by 156% since 2013 without any results. ActionAid also denounces the lack of a “medium- and long-term prevention strategy that acts on the country’s widespread patriarchal and macho culture”. (Federica Pascale | Euractiv.it)