Sep 4, 2014 | Europe, Femicide
by Anna Costanza Baldry, PhD Every two, three days the Italian statistics say that a woman is killed by her partner or ex. And this goes on regardless of new laws and apparently new strategies. Husbands, boyfriends, lovers, current and former, who for various reasons, find in violence, even lethal, a means decisive to their problems and frustrations. On August, 7th, 2014 in a lively press conference, the Italian Minister of the Interior, Agelino Alfano, reported tha one year following the Decree-Law No. 93 August 14, 2013, containing urgent provisions for safety and for the contrast of gender-based violence, as well as civil protection and compulsory administration of provinces, converted into law, with amendments, number 119 of the October 15, 2013, the so called law on femicide., things improved and his data presented demonstrate the effectiveness of the law. Unfortunately there is something wrong in his report. View the Full Document Implementation of the Italian...
Sep 4, 2014 | Europe, Femicide
by Anna Costanza Baldry, PhD The Council of Europe Convention entered into force on August 1st, 2014. One might think that women will be less at risk of suffering violence, those who are already victims will be more protected, Justice will be quicker in having to do with these cases and more certain, children more aware of the risks that undermine in misogynous and odd relationships and who abuses, the stalkers and rapists finally change register, they will help and will stop to rape and kill women. But gender-based violence isn’t a fairy tale, for centuries exists and persists. It was never cleared with the entry into force of a rule, or by introducing only partly effective policy with counter-action and prevention, although prudent from international organizations. An evidence is that if in 2014 still we need a Convention that’s so well articulated to remind us what and how many areas on which operate for a true structural change in contrast to gender-based violence, this means that even if the road is built, still must be traveled (Baldry, 2014). To date, has Italy all the cards in good standing, is ready? Last year ratified the Convention, has hastily put together rules on so-called femicide (Law 119/2013) in order to respond to some of the articles ratified in the Convention, putting in a broader Decree-Law 93/13 containing rules on the protection of order and public security, Civil Protection and for the extension of the compulsory administration of provinces. Sure, has respected what is required in some of the articles ratified in the Convention, on the other has yet to engage:...
Aug 21, 2014 | Femicide, Middle East
by Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian Despite the criminalization of abuses inflicted upon women, laws are still considered major sources of women’s oppression. This article discusses how Palestinian society and its criminal justice system, during a politically formative period of state building, relates to “femicide,” Femicide in this study pertains to the murder of girls or women for allegedly committing “crimes of family honor.” Official statistics, Cassation Court rulings, and six documented cases were analyzed in depth to determine the role played by the penal code, the legal system, and the external sociocultural context in exonerating the perpetrator of femicide and placing the placing placing the victim on trial. The data reflects a silent masculine conspiracy that empower sexist and gender-biased legal policies. The article concludes by challenging Palestinian legislators to fight legal discrimination against women. It argues that state-building periods can be a “window of hope,” offering societies such as Palestine’s the unique opportunity to reexamine and reconstruct their laws from a gender-sensitive position. Femicide and the Palestinian...
Aug 18, 2014 | Africa, Femicide
A paper for the UNODC on the approach by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales Introduction – The CPS Violence against Women and Girls Strategy The CPS is committed to tackling Violence against Women and Girls by bringing offenders to justice. We were the first British Government department to publish a Violence Against Women (VAW) Strategy and Action Plan. The strategy, published in 2008, provides a framework for improving prosecutions in cases of: . domestic violence, including harassment; . forced marriage and so-called honour crimes; . rape and sexual offences; . child abuse; . crimes against older people; . female genital mutilation (FGM); . pornography; . prostitution; and . human trafficking. The CPS recognises the importance of improving victims’ safety and is committed to working with the police and other agencies, including specialist support services, to ensure that the victims’ needs are addressed. In 2012, we undertook a review of the effectiveness of the strategy and published an Assessment of Successdocument. This highlighted the importance of the work we do with local partners and communities through Local Scrutiny Involvement Panels, and nationally through the VAWG External Consultation Group. One way in which we have concentrated on the quality of our cases is by monitoring our performance. The VAWG assurance process involves a six monthly report from senior managers in every CPS Area on the quality of VAWG prosecutions. This process has been successful in ensuring better implementation of policy from the pre-charge stage through to presenting the case at court. Homicide – the law in England and Wales Homicide offences under the law in England and...