Italy now recognizes the crime of femicide and punishes it with life in prison

Activists perform on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Rome, on Tuesday. Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse/AP Rome AP —

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

The vote 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 center-right majority and the center-left opposition in the final vote in the Lower Chamber, passing with 237 votes in favor.

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