The awareness campaigns and the 2013 law seem to give the first positive results regarding i femicides
22 crimes in 145 days. Last year there were already 46. However, caution because this type of violence travels "in waves".
Femicides halved. It cannot be called good news when there are still too many deaths
It won't be good news since the deaths are still too many, but perhaps a hope that something is improving? According to the very recent data published by the association SOS Stalking, in Italy, the so-called femicides they dropped dramatically in the first 145 days of the year.
Law enforcement agencies registered 52 percent fewer than in the same period in 2016.
Merit of awareness work done in recent years, thanks to which more women find the courage to denounce the abuses before it is too late. But the work is only at the beginning.
Italy must put a heavy cultural legacy behind it
We must not let our guard down, on the contrary. The latest tragedy took place just a few nights ago in the Milanese area, in Segrate, where a man shot the ex before attempting to commit suicide. In 2016 alone, at the national level, there were 110 femicides. Femicides mainly carried out by the husband, partner or ex.
In 2015 the victims were 116. A massacre: jealousy, inability to manage the loss, morbid sense of possession trigger the murderous impetus then "justified" as an excess of love for the partner who leaves.
To date, there seems to be a fairly significant reduction in numbers. In total, 22 women were killed in 2017, in 90% of cases by the hand of the partner or ex. A year ago, in May, the victims were already 46. We are talking about a woman killed every 6 days, against the average of 3 in 2016.
Obviously, the utmost caution is required because the case history confirms that this type of violence travels "in waves". And therefore we cannot rule out a forthcoming resurgence.
A law against femicide
In 2013 the government approved a law against femicide which has increased penalties, introduced compulsory arrest in flagrantees and allocated money for anti-violence centers.
The Sos Stalking Association is focusing a lot on two elements. The electronic bracelet that the magistrate can request to apply to the stalker. But today it has remained essentially unused.
Another fundamental element at heart of the association is the "secondary victim" of femicide. The children who, as a result of the crime, find themselves orphaned of their mother.
In 2015, 118 children were left alone. 84 were added to 2016. The consequences they suffer are often irreparable. From the trauma linked to violent mourning to the educational void that intervenes in a delicate age. In February, the House passed a law that partially protects these victims and provides that court costs are borne by the state. But that's not enough.
In 2017 there are already 22 new orphans. Will there sooner or later be a law that regulates once and for all a fund to protect these innocent little ones?
