Italy’s parliament on Tuesday approved a law that introduces femicide into the country’s criminal law and punishes it with life in prison.

The vote coincided with the international day for the elimination of violence against women, a day designated by the U.N. General Assembly.

The law won bipartisan support from the center-right majority and the center-left opposition in the final vote in the Lower Chamber, passing with 237 votes in favor.

The law, backed by the conservative government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, comes in response to a series of killings and other violence targeting women in Italy. It includes stronger measures against gender-based crimes including stalking and revenge porn.

  • paraphrand@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    7 hours ago

    I would assume the thinking is centered around wanting to draw specific attention to the issue. And to more clearly cite it as a unique thing for awareness purposes.

    • Canaconda@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      edit-2
      7 hours ago

      This. The goal is to send a message. Over half the women killed were murdered by intimate partners. Such a crime would already be punished by life imprisonment for Aggravated Homicide.

      However femicide also includes refusal for emotional relationship, or resistance to limiting her freedom as motivators, as admissible motives for femicide.

      https://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/20211564_mh0421097enn_pdf_0.pdf

      • SereneSadie@quokk.au
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        4 hours ago

        So, essentially its targeted towards violent incels among other specifics now.

        Awesome.

        • Canaconda@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          4 hours ago

          So the data I linked alleges that ~43% of female homicides in Italy are committed by a current or former spouse. While a global estimate says that 29% of all female homicides are committed by current/former spouse or a family member.

          So while I think this thread brings the incels out of the wood works… it’s not really targeting incels.