On November 25, 2025, Italy’s parliament made history by unanimously passing a law that defines femicide as a distinct crime punishable by life imprisonment. The move, which coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marks a watershed moment for a country long shaken by high-profile killings of women and persistent gender-based violence.
The new law was backed by all 237 deputies in the Chamber of Deputies, a rare display of political unity in Rome. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy, expressed her satisfaction, stating, “I am very pleased with Parliament’s approval of the bill introducing the crime of femicide.” According to Anadolu Agency, Meloni underscored the government’s commitment to combating violence against women, citing efforts to stiffen penalties, toughen law enforcement, and boost funding for anti-violence centers and shelters. “These are concrete steps forward, but we shall not stop here,” she vowed. “We must keep doing more and more, every day… To build an Italy in which no woman ever has to feel alone, threatened or disbelieved again.”
The law’s passage was not just symbolic. It was the culmination of years of debate, public protest, and, tragically, a series of brutal murders that shocked the Italian public. The murder of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin in November 2023 by her ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, became a catalyst for legislative action. Her death, and the powerful response of her sister Elena—who called the perpetrator not a monster, but the “healthy son” of a deeply patriarchal society—sparked nationwide protests and forced a reckoning with Italy’s cultural attitudes toward women.
As reported by the BBC, the new law introduces for the first time a legal definition of femicide in Italy’s criminal code. Femicide is defined as the murder of a woman motivated by gender, including acts of hatred, discrimination, domination, control, or subjugation. The law also covers murders that occur when a woman breaks off a relationship or when the crime is committed to limit her individual freedoms. From now on, every murder of a woman motivated by her gender will be recorded as femicide and will trigger an automatic life sentence—a measure intended as a deterrent.
Judge Paola di Nicola, one of the authors of the law, explained its significance to the BBC: “Femicides will be classified, they will be studied in their real context, they will exist.” Di Nicola’s expert commission examined 211 recent murders of women for common characteristics before drafting the legislation. She argued that the law reveals the real motivation behind femicides: “hierarchy and power.” She further criticized the tendency to frame such crimes in terms of “exasperated love or strong jealousy,” calling it a distortion that uses culturally acceptable but misleading terms. “This law means we will be the first in Europe to reveal the real motivation of the perpetrators, which is hierarchy and power.”
Italy now joins Cyprus, Malta, and Croatia as one of the few European Union member states to have introduced a legal definition of femicide. According to Courthouse News, this places Italy among a select group globally, as most European countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, still prosecute such cases under general homicide laws with aggravating circumstances. Italy’s penalty—life imprisonment—is among the harshest worldwide for this crime, comparable to the strictest sentences in Chile or Mexico.
The statistics are sobering. The National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) reported that 106 femicides took place in Italy in 2024, nearly one every three days, accounting for 91.4% of the 116 murders of women that year. Most victims were killed by men within their closest circles, with elderly women aged 75 to 85 particularly at risk. The phenomenon cuts across all ages and regions, showing no significant variation between north and south. Recent forensic studies cited by Courthouse News revealed that over 90% of femicide cases involved intimate partners or family members, and from 2020 to 2023, 83% of homicides of women were classified as femicides.
The law’s introduction comes against a historical backdrop of patriarchal legal norms. Until 1981, the Italian penal code provided leniency for so-called “honor killings,” allowing drastically reduced sentences for men who killed female relatives caught in “illicit” sexual conduct. Only in 2007 did the Supreme Court rule that “honor” had no place as a mitigating factor in homicide cases. Despite dramatic declines in mafia-related killings and the overall homicide rate, femicide rates have remained stubbornly stable for more than 70 years.
While the law has been hailed as a major step forward, it has its critics. Law professor Valeria Torre of Foggia University told the BBC that the new definition of femicide is too vague and could prove difficult for judges to implement. She argued, “There is no lack of protection, no legal gap to fill,” and warned that proving gender as the motive—especially when most women are killed by current or former partners—will be challenging. “I am afraid that the government just wants to persuade people it’s doing something for the problem,” she said, adding that more economic resources are needed to address inequality.
Even supporters of the law agree that legislation alone is not enough. Gino Cecchettin, Giulia’s father, believes that education is crucial. Since his daughter’s murder, he has toured Italian schools and universities to talk to young people about respect and healthy relationships. “If we give them the right tools to handle their life they will not act as Filippo, they will probably act in a different manner,” he told the BBC. However, efforts to introduce mandatory emotional and sexual education in schools have faced resistance, particularly from far-right MPs who have only supported optional classes for older children.
Italy’s broader struggles with gender equality are also in the spotlight. The country ranks 85th in the Global Gender Gap Index, with just over half of all women in employment. At the Museum of the Patriarchy in Rome, a new exhibition created by Action Aid Italy aims to highlight the many forms of violence against women and the need for societal change. Fabiana Costantino of Action Aid Italy argued, “For us, the way to fight against violence against women is to prevent the violence, and to prevent the violence we have to build equality.”
The passage of the femicide law was met with applause in parliament and a sense of hope among advocates, but also with the recognition that much work remains. Judge Paola di Nicola summed up the moment: “It shows that Italy is finally speaking about violence against women having deep roots. The first effect is to make the country discuss something it’s never confronted before.”
As Italy moves forward, the new law stands as both a symbol and a tool—an acknowledgment of past failures and a commitment to change, even as the country grapples with the deeper cultural and structural issues that allow femicide to persist.
