Italy Recognises Femicide as a Crime | 01 Dec 2025

Source: IE 

The Italian Parliament has passed a landmark law that criminalizes femicide, making life imprisonment mandatory for the gender-motivated killing of women.

• About Femicide: Femicide is defined as the killing of women and girls because of their gender, and the UN categorizes it as killings by intimate partners, family members, or other perpetrators. 
• Legal Rationale for Recognition: Viewing gender as a motive for crime highlights discrimination and systemic bias. Recognising femicide separately raises awareness, guides targeted policies, and exposes patriarchal violence. 
• Law Against Femicide: Italy joins a small group of countries—such as Mexico, Cyprus, Morocco, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Gabon, and Chile—that have enacted dedicated femicide laws. 
  • India does not recognize femicide as a distinct legal category. However, India has several laws to protect females or gender based killings such as: 
    • Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. 
    • Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 
    • National Commission for Women Act, 1990 
    • Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 
• International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women: It is observed on 25^th November to raise awareness against violence against women and girls (VAWG). It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999.