Italy’s lower house unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday, November 25th, that makes femicide—the intentional killing of women or girls—a specific offence in the penal code, carrying a mandatory life sentence.
Until now, Italian law treated such killings only as homicides with possible aggravating circumstances, typically when the perpetrator was a spouse or relative.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the reform, describing it as a step to “defend the freedom and dignity of every woman.” The measure, already cleared by the Senate in July, passed with 237 votes in favour and none against.
Under the new provision, life imprisonment applies to murders committed “out of discrimination, hatred or violence” against women.
The vote comes as international and national data paint a stark picture: a UN report marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women found that 50,000 women and girls were killed last year by partners or family members.
In Italy, Istat recorded 116 female victims among 327 homicides in 2024, with men responsible in more than 92 percent of those cases.
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