The Local Italy https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Italy makes femicide a crime punishable by life in prison Italian lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously backed a bill making femicide - the gender-based killing of women or girls- a separate crime to homicide, punishable by life imprisonment. https://www.thelocal.it/20251126/italy-makes-femicide-a-crime-punishable-by-life-in-prison Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:37:45 +0100 italy-makes-femicide-a-crime-punishable-by-life-in-prison 'Ugly act': Outrage in Italy over discovery of foetus graves marked with mothers' names More than 100 women in Italy have launched legal action over the discovery, which they say is a serious violation of human rights and 'like a sign of punishment'. https://www.thelocal.it/20201015/outrage-in-italy-over-discovery-of-foetus-graves-marked-with-mothers-names Thu, 15 Oct 2020 16:00:14 +0200 outrage-in-italy-over-discovery-of-foetus-graves-marked-with-mothers-names Italy's top court rules physical appearance 'irrelevant' in rape cases Italy's highest court has thrown out a ruling that a woman couldn't be a victim of rape because judges deemed her "too masculine" and "unattractive". https://www.thelocal.it/20190410/italys-top-court-rules-physical-appearance-irrelevant-in-rape-cases Wed, 10 Apr 2019 13:34:17 +0200 italys-top-court-rules-physical-appearance-irrelevant-in-rape-cases Anger in Italy as men cleared of rape because victim was 'too masculine' Judges had said the alleged rape victim’s story was not believable because she was “unattractive.” https://www.thelocal.it/20190312/italian-rape-case-collapses-as-judges-rule-victim-too-masculine Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:05:01 +0100 italian-rape-case-collapses-as-judges-rule-victim-too-masculine Why activists believe Italy's divorce reforms would be terrible for women and children Thousands took part in demonstrations in 60 cities across Italy on Saturday to protest against divorce law reforms currently being considered by parliament that they believe are a threat to human rights. https://www.thelocal.it/20181112/no-pillon-italy-divorce-reforms-protests-women Mon, 12 Nov 2018 15:57:35 +0100 no-pillon-italy-divorce-reforms-protests-women Verona defies Italy's abortion law and declares itself a 'pro-life city' Verona's town council voted to declare the northern Italian city officially "pro-life", prompting outcry from campaigners for reproductive rights. https://www.thelocal.it/20181005/verona-pro-life-city-italy-abortion-law Fri, 05 Oct 2018 21:44:17 +0200 verona-pro-life-city-italy-abortion-law The long road to legal abortion in Italy - and why many women are still denied it Italy marks 40 years of legalized abortion this month, but many women are still unable to access the procedure due to a rising rate of conscientious objection among doctors. https://www.thelocal.it/20180525/history-abortion-laws-italy-doctors-objection-pills Fri, 25 May 2018 19:28:11 +0200 history-abortion-laws-italy-doctors-objection-pills IN PICTURES: Italian women stage nationwide protests for equal rights Women across the country held protests, rallies, and marches in support of equal rights on Wednesday, International Women's Day. Here are some of the striking images from the events. https://www.thelocal.it/20180309/in-pictures-protests-and-rallies-across-italy-on-international-womens-day Fri, 09 Mar 2018 11:06:07 +0100 in-pictures-protests-and-rallies-across-italy-on-international-womens-day