(Adnkronos) – Today, November 25, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 through resolution 54/134, the choice of this date is related to the commemoration of the life and activism of the Mirabal sisters – Patria, Maria Teresa and Minerva – who fought against the dictatorship of General Rafael Trujilo in the Dominican Republic in the 40s and 50s: considered revolutionaries, they were tortured and killed.
“In every sphere of social and personal life, in the home, workplace and urban spaces, the principle of equality is slow to be implemented, limiting women’s autonomy, endangering women’s safety, impoverishing societal progress. The arena of armed conflict, where violence against women is used as a tool of intimidation and oppression, is a dramatic example of this.” This was stated by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.
“Today we witness the spread of forms of violence made possible by the digital dimension, reinforced by the dynamics of social networks, with impacts that are not virtual: insults, blackmail, coercion that, in the most serious cases, lead to the physical assault and murder of women. Harassment that leaves deep wounds on the body and mind – continued the Head of State -. that means, first of all, education in the language of respect”.
“In recent years, we have passed very significant legislation, tightening penalties and strengthening available tools, such as “code red” and preventive measures. We have doubled funding for anti-violence centers and shelters, strengthened and made freedom a structural income, promoted the number 1522, carried out innovative educational and awareness activities. These are concrete steps forward, but we do not stop here. We must continue to do more every day,” added the Prime Minister.
Every day in Italy, 85 women become victims of crime, ranging from family violence, sexual violence, to stalking. In 2022, there will be 106 cases of female murder (data in line with findings in the last three years): of these, 61 cases were killed by partners or ex-partners, all men (Istat data).
“Violence against women” is any act of gender-based violence that causes physical, sexual or psychological suffering or suffering to women, including threats, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty: this is stated in Article 1 of the UN declaration on the elimination of violence against women.
The phrase gender violence refers to all forms of violence, from psychological and physical to sexual, ranging from acts of abuse called stalking to rape and murder of women, involving many people who are discriminated against based on gender, as stated on the Ministry of Home Affairs website. Laws against gender violence have three main goals: preventing crime, punishing perpetrators, and protecting victims. With the introduction of the crime of abuse-stalking in 2009, which takes the form of any form of violence and abusive behavior that forces the victim to change their way of life, to the law on ‘Urgent provisions regarding security and the eradication of gender violence’, legal protection and support for victims, a series of aggravating circumstances and the possibility of residence permits for humanitarian reasons for foreigners who are victims of violence have been strengthened.
Italian legislation, updated with Law No.69/2019 on the protection of victims of domestic and gender violence, is fully within the framework outlined by the Istanbul Convention (2011), the first legally binding international instrument ‘on the prevention and eradication of violence against women and domestic violence’. A major new element of the Convention is the recognition of violence against women as a form of human rights violation and discrimination. The Convention also provides protection for children who witness domestic violence and requires, among other things, the criminalization of female genital mutilation.
Last July the bill introducing the crime of femicide got the green light in the Senate and will arrive in the Montecitorio Chamber today, Tuesday November 25, 2025, for final approval. The draft, which consists of fourteen articles, plans to insert article 577-bis into the Criminal Code to frame femicide as an independent crime and not as a form of ordinary murder regulated in article 575.
The law contains certain types of murder, which are intended to sanction life imprisonment for anyone who causes the death of a woman, commits acts of discrimination or hatred against the victim because she is a woman, or if the crime aims to suppress the exercise of a woman’s rights, freedoms or personality.
Meanwhile, with 227 votes in favor, the Council unanimously approved a law amending the crime of sexual violence, introducing the idea of ’free and current consent’ to sexual acts, in line with the provisions of the Istanbul Convention. Therefore, consent is the only element required to qualify in this case: any sexual act committed without the free and current consent of the person involved constitutes a crime of sexual violence. The text must now be vetted by the Senate.
In recent years, other reforms have contributed to strengthening the regulatory framework against gender violence, starting with the so-called Code Red of 2019. The law introduced a preferential pathway for cases of violence and an obligation for public prosecutors to hear victims within three days.
A ‘Help Signal’ is a request for help via a one-handed signal to communicate the need for support, particularly in situations of domestic violence or abuse. Designed by the Canadian Women’s Foundation to help those experiencing gender-based violence, the sign is performed by raising the hand up with the thumb tucked into the palm, then bending the fingers down, symbolically pinching the thumb between the fingers.
It was intentionally designed as one continuous hand movement, rather than as a sign held in one position, which could be made easily visible.
