The Italian government has approved a draft law that for the first time introduces the legal definition of femicide in the country’s criminal law and punishes it with life imprisonment.

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The Italian government approved a draft law that for the first time introduces the legal definition of femicide in the country’s criminal law and punishes it with life imprisonment.

The move, announced on the eve of International Women’s Day on Saturday, aims at tackling a shocking string of killings and violence targeting women in Italy through strengthening measures against gender-based crimes like stalking and revenge porn.

The proposal, agreed on late Friday, still needs to go through parliament and must be approved by both chambers to become law.

“This is an extremely significant bill, which introduces the crime of femicide in our legal system as an autonomous crime, punishing it with life imprisonment,” said conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni, who strongly backed the initiative.

“It introduces aggravating circumstances and increases sentences for crimes including personal mistreatment, stalking, sexual violence and revenge porn,” she said in a statement.

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  • dzsimbo@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    13 hours ago

    I guess if we can establish a protected class, it could deter violence. While I am the furthest thing from an Italian lawyer as possible, I highly doubt that there aren’t a handful of laws already in place that couldn’t be enforced to combat violence against women.

    This could be a solid step in the right direction and enough to hand out harsher sentences where the motives are clearly misogynistic in nature.

    Maybe I’m a bit in over my head, as I do have to think about the terminology, and many things come through fuzzy, to say it best. I just can’t shake the notion that at best this is only a loaded signaling, at worst another loophole to somehow horrificly abuse.