Giulia Bongiorno: for feminicide the new specific offence provides for life imprisonment

The Senate Justice Committee unanimously approved the text introducing into the penal code, with the new Article 577-bis, the crime of feminicide. We spoke about it in Parliament 24 with the president of the Senate Justice Committee Giulia Bongiorno, a senator of the League. Femicide is a social scourge, a complex phenomenon, often linked to male power and control dynamics, which manifests itself in different contexts, but particularly in emotional and family relationships.

The text introduces a specific case of murder for feminicide. "We have provided for a new offence called precisely feminicide, because for now there is murder in our code. Whoever causes the death of a man, and that means the death of a man or a woman, by whatever means. Since, feminicide is not just any death, it is a death that is caused by the man because he feels superior to the woman and therefore out of hatred, out of a kind of discrimination. When the woman no longer corresponds to his model he causes this death, these feminicides that are the result of a certain mentality. So we have provided for a case, which was really examined in depth in the Commission, of that kind of murder committed as an act of hatred, discrimination and prevarication. That is why it is very different from murder'.

Giulia Bongiorno stressed that the go-ahead for this new crime is a quantum leap in the fight against violence against women: 'I don't think it is just a symbolic thing, that is, now we are talking about this new crime and there will be no more feminicides. We give a message and it all ends. I believe that the fight against feminicide is a fight that requires so much and there is still so much to do. But we have at least given it a label, a name. We have said that we do not consider a murder to be the same thing as an act against a woman, so violent as to lead to her death, that is born of oppression. And we give life imprisonment as a penalty. So we consider it more serious. So it is not just symbolic, but concrete. A very serious penalty. And we also have aggravating factors on all the various Code Red offences'.

Among the novelties there is also a no-stop on wiretapping and the enhanced electronic bracelet. 'Wiretapping,' emphasises President Bongiorno, 'is a formidable investigative tool and so when there are investigations for these crimes we have established that there is not that 45-day time limit for other crimes and so we can go ahead. So more investigative power, less time limits. Instead, with regard to the second issue, that of the electronic bracelet, a sort of presumption of dangerousness has been introduced for those who commit so-called Code Red crimes, i.e. violence against women. As a precautionary measure, prison or house arrest will be applicable, which means that we will have a strengthening of the electronic bracelet, because the electronic bracelet is a very useful measure when house arrest is ordered, because obviously there is a real control. I know perfectly well that until now there has not been an adequate number of bracelets, but I also know that a lot of work is being done on this'.

There is also greater protection for orphans of feminicide. We have expanded the number of orphans," says President Bongiorno, "who can enjoy a series of benefits because the orphan of feminicide must be considered that he or she obviously suffers enormous damage, not only affective damage, but also finds himself totally alone. So it is right that the orphan of feminicide is also considered to be the one who is born not from a stable relationship, so, here too, the number of beneficiaries is widened'. What is needed now is a great commitment on the prevention front, on education for respect and for the timely application of the rules.