Italian parliament approves law that sentences femicide to life in prison

Italy's parliament on Tuesday approved a law that introduces femicide into the country's criminal code and punishes it with life imprisonment.

The vote coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a day designated by the UN General Assembly.

The law won bipartisan support from the center-right majority and the center-left opposition in the final vote in the Lower House, passing with 237 votes in favor, the AP reports.

The law, backed by the conservative government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, comes in response to a spate of murders and violence targeting women in Italy. It includes stronger measures against gender-based crimes.

High-profile cases, such as the 2023 murder of university student Giulia Cecchettin, have been key to widespread public protest and debate about the causes of violence against women in Italy's patriarchal culture.

Although the center-left opposition supported the law in parliament, it stressed that the government's approach only addresses the criminal aspect of the problem, leaving the economic and cultural divisions untreated.

The Italian statistics agency Istat recorded 106 murders of women in 2024, 62 of which were committed by partners or ex-partners.

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The debate over introducing sexual and emotional education in schools as a way to prevent gender-based violence has become heated in Italy. 

A proposed law by the government would ban sexual and emotional education for primary school students and require explicit parental consent for any lessons in secondary school.

The ruling coalition has defended the measure as a way to protect children from ideological activism, while opposition parties and activists have described the bill as "medieval."