Femicide 2025: Italy Criminalizes Gender-Based Killings

Italy has officially become the latest country to recognize femicide as a distinct crime, joining a small but growing list of nations fighting the intentional killing of women simply because they are women. On November 25, 2025 — International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — the Italian parliament unanimously passed a landmark law that punishes femicide with life imprisonment.

This historic decision marks Italy as only the fourth EU country to criminalize femicide specifically, sending a powerful message: killing a woman out of hatred, control, jealousy, or possessiveness is not just murder — it’s a hate crime rooted in gender.

What Exactly Is Femicide?

Femicide is the gender-motivated killing of women and girls. It’s the most extreme form of violence against women, often committed by:

• Current or former intimate partners (most common)
• Family members
• Other perpetrators driven by misogyny, “honor,” or sexual violence

Globally, a woman or girl is killed by a partner or family member every 10 minutes. In 2024 alone, at least 50,000 women lost their lives this way — and experts say the real number is much higher due to underreporting.

Why Italy Took This Step in 2025

The law was born from tragedy and public outrage.

The brutal 2023 murder of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin — stabbed over 20 times by her ex-boyfriend who couldn’t accept the breakup — shocked the nation. Her sister’s powerful public statement and the family’s release of Giulia’s private list titled “15 reasons I had to break up with him” exposed the terrifying reality of possessive and controlling behavior that too many women face.

Massive protests under the slogan “Non Una di Meno” (Not One Woman Less) flooded Italian streets, demanding systemic change. In 2024, Italy recorded 106 femicides — nearly one every three days.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leading a center-right government, joined forces with the opposition to pass the law with rare bipartisan unity. Even MPs rattled keys in parliament — a tribute to Giulia Cecchettin, symbolizing that women should no longer have to lock themselves away in fear.

Which Countries Have Femicide Laws in 2025?

Only about 29 countries worldwide have specific femicide or feminicide laws — mostly in Latin America, where the movement began:

• Mexico (first in 2007)
• Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador, and others
• In Europe: Italy (2025), Cyprus, Malta, Croatia
• A few others: Gabon, Morocco, Türkiye

That means 89% of the world’s women and girls still live in countries without legal recognition of femicide.

Many nations treat these killings as regular homicides or apply “aggravating circumstances” (like in India for dowry deaths), but they don’t name the gender-based motive — which activists say allows society to ignore the root cause: misogyny and patriarchal control.

Why Separate Femicide Laws Matter

Recognizing femicide isn’t just symbolic. It:

• Forces better data collection
• Trains police and judges to spot warning signs (stalking, coercive control)
• Sends a clear societal message: this is a hate crime
• Helps prevent future killings through early intervention
• Gives victims’ families justice that acknowledges the true nature of the crime

The Hard Truth: Laws Alone Aren’t Enough

Even in countries with strong femicide laws, challenges remain:

• Weak enforcement
• Slow judicial systems
• Lack of shelters and support for women trying to leave abusive partners
• Absence of mandatory education on consent and healthy relationships in schools

Italy is already debating its next step: reforming rape laws to make “no means no” the clear standard, not just violence or threats.

The Global Call in 2025

One woman killed every 10 minutes. Most murdered in their own homes — the place that should be safest.

Italy’s new law is a beacon of hope, but the world can’t stop here.

Every country must:

• Criminalize femicide
• Invest in prevention (education, early warning systems)
• Protect women trying to leave abusive relationships
• Teach the next generation that control, jealousy, and possession are not love

No more silence. No more “crimes of passion.” Just justice — and a world where no woman has to be afraid to say no.

Sharing is caring!