Italy
(Republic of Italy)
General Country Information:
Population: 60,192,698
Female population: 30,972,785
Member of Council of Europe: 1949
Member of European Union: 1957
CEDAW ratified: 1985
CEDAW Optional Protocol ratified: 2000
CoE Convention on preventing and combating violence
against women and domestic violence:
signed: 27 September 2012
ratified: No
SUMMARY
31% of women in Italy aged 16-70 years old have experienced male violence in their lifetime; 23.7% of women have experienced
sexual violence and 18.8% physical violence according to a survey published in 2006. Data on women experiencing intimate
partner violence indicates that 12.2% of women have experienced physical violence in their lifetime and 1.7% in the last 12
months, and 6.1% of women have experienced sexual violence in intimate partner relationships in their lifetime and 1% in the
last 12 months. National criminal statistics on domestic violence are not available in Italy. National criminal justice statistics
on cases of domestic violence are also not publically available. Data on medical interventions related to domestic violence or
intimate partner violence is not collected in the Italian healthcare system. There is one national women’s helpline in Italy run by
an independent women’s NGO. There are 60 women’s shelters and between 120 and 130 women’s centers. There is no specific
information available on the number of women’s centers for survivors of sexual violence in Italy, although 113 feminist women’s
associations run anti-violence centers that support survivors of all forms of gender-based violence, including survivors of rape
and sexual abuse and forced prostitution.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN STATISTICS:
Prevalence Study:
The most recent prevalence of violence survey carried out in Italy is a violence against women survey from 2006.1 The study is an
International Violence against Women Survey.2 The survey findings are available in Italian with a short summary of the findings in
English.3
With the aim to provide an estimate on the number of women experiencing male violence,4 data was collected via telephone interviews
from 25,000 women.5 The respondents were between ages 16-70. The data is gender disaggregated for victim and the perpetrator.6
Violence by intimate partners (current and former), as well as relatives and strangers was measured. The time period studied for victims’
experiences of violence included lifetime experiences of violence and current experience (last 12 months)7. The forms of violence
measured were physical and sexual.8
Based on the survey findings, 31% of women ages 16-70 have experienced male violence in their lifetime. Applying the rate to the
population of women at the time of the survey, 6,743,000 women ages 16-70 would have experienced violence in their lifetime. 23.7%
of women have experienced sexual violence and 18.8% physical violence. Women ages 16-34 were found to experience higher rates
of violence and intimate partners are responsible for majority of the violent acts. Women continue to fear disclosing sexual violence and
nearly 92% of rapes are never reported to the police.9
The rates of physical and sexual violence are listed in the table below:10
Intimate Partner Violence*
Physical Violence
Sexual Violence
Psychological Violence
12 Months
Lifetime
12 Months
Lifetime
12 Months
Lifetime
1,7%
12,2%
1%
6,1%
-
-
* Victims are female and perpetrators are male
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Data collection in prevalence survey:
As related to regular data collection, a conclusion on regularity of intervals cannot be reached, however, there are plans to
repeat the survey.11 The data collection in the survey is gender disaggregated for both victim and perpetrator. Relationship
between victim and perpetrator is evident. Age of victims (not perpetrators) is also provided and forms of violence including
those referred to in the Convention12 are covered. The survey is nationally representative.
Prevalence Survey Data Collection
Sample size
25,000 women
Women 16-70 years old
Sample scopeNational
Data disaggregated by
Gender13
Age14Relationship
Perpetrators
Intimate partnersOther family members
Availability
Available in Italian
Regularly conducted
Plans to repeat survey
Forms of violence
Physical
Short summary available in English
Strangers
Sexual
National Criminal Statistics (Police):
Domestic violence in Italy is indirectly covered in the Criminal Code under different articles not specific to domestic violence.
The articles include: Article 572 (maltreatment within the family), Article 575 (Homicide), Article 582 (Injuries with healing time
above 20 days), Article 605 (Kidnapping), Article 609 (Sexual Acts with Minor), Article 610 (Private Violence), Article 612 (Severe
Threatening). Stalking is a separate offense that was introduced into the Criminal Code in 2009.15
National criminal statistics in Italy on domestic violence are very limited. There are two main official documents, from 200616 and
201017 that provide some data on homicides, sexual violence and stalking.
The 2006 document reports on crime in Italy over four decades 1996-2006. It includes chapters on general crime, thefts,
robberies, homicides, violence against women and organized crime. Data on intimate partner homicides is available, although
the data is not age disaggregated, neither for victim nor the perpetrators, although data on gender of victims (not perpetrators)
is available. Intimate partner murders are referred to as crimes of passion “Famiglia Passioni amorose.”18 This is a rather
regrettable name for a crime of this magnitude. Designating the taking of a life as a crime of passion removes not only the sense
of the gravity of the crime and its irreversible nature, but also removes the responsibility from the perpetrator, as if the crime
were not premeditated or intentional. From data provided in the report, in 2006, there were 192 murders committed by intimate
partners in Italy. The highest number of murder committed was in 2002, with 211 persons killed by intimate partners.19 From
the time period 2001-2006, victims were female in 63% of intimate partner homicides. This means that about 721 women were
murder by their intimate partners in a six year period.20 This is the only police data available in the report regarding domestic
violence. The information provided in the Violence against Women section of the report relays findings of the aforementioned
2006 prevalence study and is not administrative data.
Information on sexual violence and stalking is available in the 2010 document. The data on sexual violence is from 2004-2009
and is gender and age disaggregated for the perpetrator only, however, there is no evidence of relationship between victim
and perpetrator. It shows that 98% of the perpetrators (21,673) are male.21 Information on cases of stalking is also available,
however, the data is not presented as whole numbers of victims or cases, is neither age nor gender disaggregated and the
relationship between victim and perpetrator is not evident.22
Data collection in criminal statistics:
National criminal statistics on domestic violence are very limited. Data on the number of women murdered by intimate partners
is available, however, there is no information on the gender of the perpetrator. Other data available is not disaggregated by
relationship between victim and perpetrator, hence it is not possible to derive crimes committed in a domestic context.
National Criminal Justice Statistics (court):
Data collection in criminal justice statistics:
National criminal justice statistics on domestic violence are not publically available in Italy.23 As a result, there is no information
available on whether any data collected is gender or age disaggregated, or shows evidence of relationship between victim and
perpetrator.
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Further issues related to criminal justice:
As regards criminal justice, an aspect of successfully implementing laws on domestic violence or articles in the Criminal Code
involves providing legal counseling or supporting women survivors of violence during the court proceedings. Legal advice to
survivors of intimate partner violence is available free of charge in Italy,24 although the extent of such service must be considered
as often certain conditions must be met, such as confirmation of level of income, and the service provision may be limited in terms
of time or type and level of advice or aid offered.
Another aspect of successful implementation of laws on domestic violence or articles in the Criminal Code involves holding
perpetrators accountable. The penalties to be assigned for certain crimes such as sexual violence are strong, however, in
actual application, the penalties are often lowered. It is common to see penalties for sexual violence to be under three years of
imprisonment, which can be further lowered in favor of issuing a non-detention measure. In general, there is a sense of impunity
for violent crimes against women.25
Healthcare System’s Role in Combating Violence against Women and Data Collection:
Data on medical interventions related to domestic violence or intimate partner violence is not collected in Italy’s healthcare
system.26
National healthcare protocols for dealing with domestic violence or intimate partner violence do not exist in Italy. Furthermore,
hospitals in Italy are not set up to provide emergency accommodation for women victims of domestic violence.27
One topic related to the healthcare system’s response to violence against women is access to health for undocumented
migrant women, in the least access to essential healthcare services. Because undocumented migrant women are often afraid
to report their situation to the authorities, visiting a healthcare service may be their only option to receive support as means
of protection. Undocumented migrant women have access to healthcare in cases of emergency. Pregnant women have free
access to all health services throughout the pregnancy and delivery only.28
SERVICES FOR WOMEN SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE:29
Women’s Helplines:
There is one national women’s helpline in Italy. The name of the helpline is Arianna and the phone number is (1522). The helpline
was set up by the State in 2006, but is operated by the independent women’s NGO Le Onde di Palermo. The helpline is free of
charge and operates 24/7. The helpline assists women survivors of domestic violence. Multilingual support is provided.
National Women’s Helplines
Total Number
Calls Free of Charge
24/7 Service
Multilingual Support
1YesYesYes
Based on this information, Italy meets the Council of Europe Taskforce Recommendations.
Women’s Shelters:
There are 60 women’s shelters in Italy with approximately 500 shelter places available. The first shelter was opened in 1989.
49 of the women’s shelters are run by independent women’s NGOs, five are run by the local government (COMUNE) and the
remaining are run by cooperatives or other organizations. The shelters serve women survivors of gender-based, sexual and
domestic violence. The shelters accept children of the survivors. The length of stay in the shelter is between three to six months.
The shelters are predominantly funded by local governments, regional or municipal.
Women’s Shelters
Total Number
Shelter Places Needed
Shelter Places Available
Shelter Places Missing
Funding of Shelters
60
6,019
Approximately 500
5,519
Local government
Based on Council of Europe Taskforce Recommendations, approximately 6,019 shelter places are needed in Italy. Thus an
estimated 5,519 shelter places are still missing. As a result, Italy fails to meet Council of Europe Taskforce Recommendations.
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Women’s Centers:
There are 12530-13031 women’s centers in Italy. All of the centers offer counseling, independent domestic violence advice and
information and advice, while most provide intervention safety support, legal advice and resettlement support.
Women’s Centers for Survivors of Sexual Violence:
There is no specific data available on the number of women’s centers for survivors of sexual violence, however, there are 113
feminist women’s associations that run anti-violence centers. These centers support survivors of all forms of gender-based
violence, including survivors of rape and sexual abuse and forced prostitution.
Endnotes
Hagemann-White, Prof. Dr. Carol. (2010). Protecting Women against Violence: Analytical Study of the Results of the Third Round of Monitoring the Implementation of Recommendation Rec (2002) 5 on the Protection of Women against Violence in Council of Europe Member States. [Directorate General of
Human Rights and Legal Affairs]. Strasbourg. Pg. 56.
2
UN Women. (March 2011). Violence against Women Prevalence Data: Surveys by Country. Pg. 3.
3
UN Secretary-General’s Database on Violence against Women. (2009). Italian National Statistic Institute (ISTAT) Survey on Violence against Women, 2006.
[http://sgdatabase.unwomen.org/searchDetail.action? measureId=26309&baseHREF=country&baseHREFId=675]
4
See Nevala, Sami. (11-14 April 2005). International Violence against Women Survey (IVAWS). [Expert Paper prepared for the UN Division for the Advancement of
Women: A Statistics Overview, Challenges and Gaps in Data Collection and Methodology and Approaches for Overcoming Them]. Pg. 6: IVAWS measure
violence against women committed by men.
5
UN Secretary-General’s Database on Violence against Women. (2009).
6
D.i.Re Donne in Rete contro la violenza. (December 2012). [Data provided in WAVE Country Report 2012 Questionnaire]
7
UN Women. (March 2011). Pg. 3.
8
UN Secretary-General’s Database on Violence against Women. (2009).
9
UN Secretary-General’s Database on Violence against Women. (2009).
10
UN Women. (March 2011). Pg. 3.
11
Hagemann-White, Prof. Dr. Carol. (2010). Pg. 56.
12
See Council of Europe. (12 April 2011). Article 3: a “violence against women” is understood as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against
women and shall mean all acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering
to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life; b “domestic violence” shall
mean all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occur within the family or domestic unit or between former or current spouses or
partners, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the victim.
13
Victims are female, perpetrators are male.
14
For victims only.
15
D.i.Re Donne in Rete contro la violenza. (December 2012).
16
Rapporto sulla criminalità in Italia. Analisi, Prevenzione, Contrasto. (2006).
17
Ibid.
18
Ibid. Pg. 118.
19
Ibid.
20
See Ibid. Pg. 118-119: There were a total of 1,144 homicides committed by intimate partners between 2001-2006.
21
Ministero dell’Interno. (2010). Rapporto sulla criminalitá e la sicurezza in Italia 2010. Pg. 7-8.
22
Ibid.
23
D.i.Re Donne in Rete contro la violenza. (December 2012).
24
European Institute for Gender Equality. (2012). Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU Member States: Violence against Women – Victim Support. Luxembourg. Pg. 124.
25
D.i.Re Donne in Rete contro la violenza. (December 2012).
26
Ibid.
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
29
Ibid.
30
Ibid.
31
European Institute for Gender Equality. (2012). Pg. 115.
1
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