Historic Shift in Italy: Direct Life Term for Femicide Approved

Italy: The Italian Parliament has taken a big and historic decision on violence against women. MPs have approved a new law under which femicide, i.e., killing a woman simply because she is a woman, will now be considered a separate crime, and a direct punishment of life imprisonment has been fixed for it.

This bill was passed on a day when there is an appeal across the world to end violence against women—on November 25. In Italy, 116 women were killed last year, and in 106 of these cases, women were targeted because of their gender. Now every such case will be registered in a separate category, and strict action will be taken under the law.

Why did Julia's case come into discussion?

The issue of femicide had been raised in Italy before, but the murder of 22-year-old Julia Checchettin outraged the entire country. In 2022, her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta attacked her multiple times with a knife and then packed her body in a bag and dumped it on the lakeshore.
The incident made national headlines and sparked a deep debate in Italy on women's safety and gender-based crimes. Julia's father, Gino Checchettin, also welcomed the law but said the real change would come in education and mentality.

How was this law passed?

After two years of discussion and several rounds of debate, the Italian Parliament approved this law. Both Prime Minister Georgia Meloni's government and the opposition supported it. Many MPs came wearing red ribbons, a symbol of protest against violence against women.
Now in Italy, if a murder is committed only on the basis that the victim was a woman, then it will be considered as femicide, and the provision of life imprisonment will be directly applicable.

Is this law also being criticized?

Some experts believe that the definition in the law is too broad, and it would not be easy to prove in court that the reason for the murder was actually gender. They also say that to stop violence, along with legal strictness, it is equally important to promote equality in the society.

Despite this, there was loud applause after the bill was passed in Parliament, and women's rights groups called it a major victory. Experts also believe that Italy has at least taken steps toward understanding the problem from its roots—which in itself is an important start.