Italy’s parliament has approved a law that introduces femicide into the country’s criminal law and punishes it with life in prison.

The vote on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) 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 centre-right majority and the centre-left opposition in the final vote in the Lower Chamber, passing with 237 votes in favour.

Activists perform on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Rome, Tuesday, November 25, 2025 (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP) (AP)

The law, backed by the conservative government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, comes in response to a series of killings and other violence targeting women in Italy.

It includes stronger measures against gender-based crimes including stalking and revenge porn.

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

“We have doubled funding for anti-violence centres and shelters, promoted an emergency hotline and implemented innovative education and awareness-raising activities,” Meloni said on Tuesday.

“These are concrete steps forward, but we won’t stop here. We must continue to do much more, every day.”

The government of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni pushed through the new law after a spate of violent attacks against women. (Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse via AP) (AP)

While the centre-left opposition supported the law in parliament, it stressed that the government approach only tackles the criminal aspect of the problem while leaving economic and cultural divides unaddressed.

Italy’s statistics agency Istat recorded 106 femicides last year, 62 of them committed by partners or former partners.

The debate over introducing sexual and emotional education in schools as a way to prevent gender-based violence has become heated in Italy. A law proposed by the government would ban sexual and emotional education for primary students and require explicit parental consent for any lessons in high 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.”

“Italy is one of only seven countries in Europe where sex and relationship education is not yet compulsory in schools, and we are calling for it to be compulsory in all school cycles,” said the head of Italy’s Democratic Party, Elly Schlein.

“Repression is not enough without prevention, which can only start in schools.”