The Senate unanimously approved the bill on femicide. There were 161 votes in favor. The chamber immediately erupted in applause. President Ignazio La Russa added: "I am extremely pleased with this result, which demonstrates how the Senate is capable of expressing its opinion on important issues regardless of affiliation. Thank you to all the senators." The bill will now move to the Chamber of Deputies for final approval.
At the request of Northern League group leader Massimiliano Romeo, the vote was held electronically . The bill, a government initiative and the result of mediation between the groups in the committee, introduces Article 577-bis of the Criminal Code, which regulates the crime of femicide and punishes with life imprisonment anyone who causes the death of a woman, "committing the crime through acts of discrimination or hatred toward the victim because she is a woman, or if the crime is aimed at suppressing the exercise of the rights, freedoms, or personality of the woman."
The law also includes provisions on prison benefits for those convicted of femicide, and others that strengthen training requirements to combat violence against women and domestic violence.
(Unioneonline)
