A femicide is defined as the murder or disappearance of a woman because of her gender or out of hatred, contempt, pleasure, or possession.
Every sixty hours, a woman is killed in Italy. The number of murders is decreasing, but ‘femicide’, the killing of women by their partners, ex-partners, or other family members, is on the rise. The majority of the time, crimes are committed by spouses, boyfriends, or ex-partners.
When a woman is killed by a man, not only is her life destroyed, but her entire family is affected as well. There are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and children who have to deal with the consequences. Their lives have been destroyed, memories are kept alive by pictures, and children need to be lifted and comforted, alongside legal expenses and court humiliation. Family members have to deal with media that questions victims’ behavior, not the killer’s.
There are an increasing number of families waging daily battles, often unseen to the outside world. Some write books, start petitions, collect funds for awareness-raising campaigns, or engage in online activism. It is their aim to make society understand that what they went through has precise cultural and social roots because there is still a widespread culture of ownership and dominance of women by men.
The Consequences. Femicide and the perspective of those left behind depicts a community of families spread throughout Italy who refuse to give up. As we look through their eyes, we can see their love for the women who were killed.
This book was published by Settenove in September 2020 and has been reprinted two times. It has also been presented sixty times in Italy, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.
