Italy breaks EU ranks by classifying femicide as a crime

ROME – Italy now counts among the few EU countries that define femicide as its own crime, a move welcomed by many but viewed by experts as unlikely to improve prevention.

The law, approved unanimously on Tuesday, reflects the wave of anger sparked by the 2023 murder of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend. The public outcry became a national reckoning over femicide and the state’s failure to stop it.

So far, only Cyprus, Malta, and Croatia define femicide as an autonomous crime, while everywhere else in the bloc, the gendered motive is folded into existing homicide or domestic-violence frameworks.

Italy’s reform, therefore, stands out. A new article added to the Penal Code establishes femicide as a standalone offence punishable by life imprisonment.

The law applies when a woman is killed because of discrimination, hatred, or an attempt to control her, including cases where the violence follows her refusal to start or continue a relationship. It also covers killings after a separation when children are involved, which MPs said often reveal an ongoing “possessive” dynamic.

Between January and 20 October 2025, 85 women were victims of intentional homicide, down from 102 over the same period in 2024. Yet despite the slight decrease, the share of women among all homicide victims has reached the highest level ever recorded in Italy, with more than one in three killings involving a woman.

Ultimately, what stood out on Tuesday was the breadth of political support behind the vote. The reform passed with 237 votes to none, bringing together parties that seldom align on justice policy.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni claimed the outcome as proof of a “national resolve” against gender-based violence, while centre-left leader Elly Schlein described the cross-party alignment as an essential signal on an issue that usually divides parliament.

Inside Meloni’s governing right-wing majority, lawmakers frame the reform as the latest step in a broader strategy to place Rome “at the forefront” internationally on women’s protection.

Carolina Varchi, a far-right MP and the group leader on the justice committee, told Euractiv that femicide needed its own legal definition.

Violence against women “has a specificity” rooted in patterns of domination and control, she said, adding that naming it gives institutions clearer tools to intervene.

She noted that Italy had already “taken international leadership” by classifying surrogacy as a universal crime, an example the governing coalition frequently cites when describing its approach to women’s rights.

A landmark or a symbolic gesture?

Outside the corridors of power, however, criticism has been far sharper.

Seventy-seven female legal scholars warned that the law is unlikely to change much in practice and that Italy is adopting a “populist” criminal tool with little practical effect.

They argue that Italian courts can already hand down life sentences in killings motivated by gender, and that requiring proof of motives like “hatred,” “discrimination” or “control” could make the new offence hard to apply.

Emanuele Corn, a criminal law professor at the University of Pavia, added that prevention does not come from harsher penalties. He drew parallels with Latin America, where standalone femicide laws, often drafted more precisely than Italy’s, have failed to reduce killings.

The law leaves untouched the deeper cultural and institutional drivers of violence against women, from underfunded services to entrenched social norms, said Cesare Parodi, president of the National Association of Magistrates.

Yet, the government insists the new offence is part of a broader package.

Varchi, the far-right MP, highlighted other measures underway, like a doubling of funds for shelters and anti-violence centres, new financial support for survivors, and programmes designed to secure economic independence.

Often a call to the free anti-violence and stalking helpline saves a life,” she said, illustrating how the majority frames the femicide law not just as a punitive tool but as part of a broader ecosystem of prevention and assistance.

(mm, aw)