Femicide: 22 women killed since the beginning of the year, one every three days

There have been 22 women killed in Italy since the beginning of 2024, one every three days, one every 72 hours. A shocking number that represents a real and never-ending trail of blood.

18 of these women were killed in the family or emotional sphere, 10 of which were killed by their partner or ex-partner. The last two victims were killed yesterday, one in Salento and the other in Rome, a few hours apart.

Aneta Danělczyk, 50 years old, originally from Poland, was killed in Taurisano, in the province of Lecce, with stab wounds by her husband.

Li Xuemei, 37 years old, was killed in Rome by her husband with a stab wound while their 5-year-old daughter was also present at home.

An increasing number of femicides, which follows that of Giulia Cecchettin, which occurred on November 11, 2023 at the hands of her ex Filippo Turetta, which had shaken public opinion.

On March 8, Istat recalled how the fourth quarter of 2023 saw a peak in calls to 1522 – the anti-violence and stalking number – never seen before, right after that femicide.

Although the number of phone and chat calls to 2023 has already increased in the three quarters of 1522 compared to previous years, only in the fourth quarter did it reach a total of 21.132 valid calls with a percentage increase of 88,9% compared to the previous quarter and 113,9% compared to the same period in 2022.

Among the femicides of 2024 we remember:

Sara Burattin, 41, killed on February 27 by her partner with 50 stab wounds.
Anna Maria Ferreira, 52, stabbed on February 26 in the street of Lucca by her husband from whom she was divorcing.
Eva Kaminsha, 45, stabbed to death on February 8 in Naples by her husband.
Annalisa Rizzo, 42, killed with 10 stab wounds on January 22 in Agropoli (Salerno).
Ester Palmieri, 38, stabbed to death by her ex-husband in Valfiorana (Trento) on January 11.
“This year I decided to love myself,” the victim had written on social media shortly before.

The fight against femicide is a battle that involves everyone. A constant commitment from institutions, civil society and every individual is needed to combat this tragic scourge.

Here are some tips to combat femicide:

Support women who suffer violence by providing them with support and assistance.
Educate new generations to respect women and gender equality.
Promote a culture that does not accept violence as a form of conflict resolution.
Adequately fund anti-violence centers and shelters.
Increase penalties for the crimes of femicide and stalking.
Only with a common commitment can we stop this massacre of women.