Femicide in Italy: A modern phenomenon deeply rooted in country’s cultural past

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Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Colorado State University

(THE CONVERSATION) “Femicide is not a crime of passion, it is a crime of power,” wrote Elena Cecchettin after her sister was killed in November 2023.

Italian student Giulia Cecchettin, 22, was killed allegedly by her controlling ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, a fellow student at a university in Padua. Not being able to handle the breakup, Turetta lured Giulia into one last shopping trip together before killing her, prosecutors claim. Her body, with more than 20 stab wounds, was found at the bottom of a ditch. Turetta fled to Germany, was caught and is now behind bars awaiting trial in Italy, according to the latest reports from Italy.

Cecchettin’s case has grabbed headlines in Italy and worldwide. But it is not unique. Femicide – the act of killing women on account of...