Italy’s parliament has approved a law that introduces femicide into the country’s criminal code and punishes it with life in prison, according to AP. The vote came on the international day for the elimination of violence against women and gave the conservative government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a major symbolic win on an issue that has gripped public debate.
The lower chamber passed the bill with 237 votes in favor, and the measure had bipartisan support from the center-right majority and the center-left opposition. That cross-party backing is notable in a polarized environment because it suggests broad agreement that violence against women needed a stronger legal response.
The law is not limited to femicide alone. The packet says it also strengthens measures against related gender-based crimes, including stalking and revenge porn. That makes it part of a wider legislative effort to address patterns of abuse that often precede or accompany lethal violence.
Meloni said the government had doubled funding for anti-violence centres and shelters, promoted an emergency hotline and implemented education and awareness campaigns. Her statement frames the law as one piece of a broader state response rather than a standalone fix.
Activists and the center-left opposition, however, argued that criminal punishment alone is not enough. They said the government is focusing on prosecution while leaving structural economic and cultural inequalities unaddressed. That criticism matters because it points to the familiar gap between after-the-fact punishment and prevention.
The AP report highlights the role of the 2023 murder of university student Giulia Cecchettin in intensifying public outrage. High-profile cases like hers often give momentum to legal change by turning abstract statistics into a national conversation about coercion, abuse and the culture around gender violence.
The source says Italy’s statistics agency recorded 106 femicides in 2024, with 62 committed by partners or former partners. Those numbers show the scale of the problem the law is trying to confront, and they make the decision to codify femicide more than a purely symbolic move.
The debate has also spread into schools. The packet notes that a government proposal would ban sexual and emotional education for elementary students and require parental consent for such lessons in high school. Opposition parties and activists have called that approach insufficient, arguing that prevention must begin early.
Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party, said Italy is one of only seven countries in Europe where sex and relationship education is not compulsory in schools. Her argument underlines the broader dispute: whether the state should concentrate on punishment after violence occurs or invest more heavily in prevention.
The new law answers one part of that question by adding stronger punishment. Whether Italy will also build the preventative infrastructure critics want is the next political test.
