Italy acts as a platform for violence against women

Violence against women is a problem that has received more attention in the past century. Third-wave feminism has allowed more women to speak up about their experience with sexual violence or intimate partner violence. Most of the early waves of feminism that date back to the beginning of the 20th century focused on women’s rights in other areas such as fair wages and female suffrage. It also coincided with the civil rights movement in the 1960s giving women of color more chances to speak about their equal rights opportunities. Now, more awareness has been raised around the issue of violence both at home and at the workplace. 

Recently, Italy has been pushing forth an agenda that aims to prevent violence against women. Huge crowds have shown up in the cities all around Italy protesting against any forms of violence. These rallies come several weeks after a university student was killed. 22-year-old Guila Cecchitin was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend Fillippo Turreta and now an investigation is underway. The people of Italy do not want to see these occurrences in the news. Even the Italian president himself came out with a statement that condemns the murder of an innocent woman. This statement comes on the same day in which the international community tries to diminish violence against women. 

Cecchitin’s death is not the only occurrence of violence against women in Italy that has brought this issue to the forefront. So far, 106 women have been killed In Italy this year according to the Italian Ministry. Cecchitin’s murder is just one of many situations that have caused the people of Italy to lose their patience with those who commit these violent acts. Ceccehitin was set to graduate from the University of Padua with a degree in biomedical engineering before this happened. A promising future for Ceccchitin that was taken away from her so quickly is bound to make anyone angry. Women don’t want to live in fear that they might become the next victim of an attack.

The question becomes what all these protests would accomplish in terms of preventing future acts of violence against women. So far, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni has offered her sympathies to the women who have found themselves to be the victims of violence at the hands of their partners or ex-partners. However, she has also acted as a leader who wishes to put an end to these violent acts. A new educational campaign will be put in place at schools to teach students about misogyny. It may also be the perfect time for the general public of Italy to discuss certain instances where they experience violence as well as how to respond to it.  

For information about the rallies in Italy, check out this video from the Independent as well as this article from the BBC.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67530529

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