Susan Newcombe
WVoN co-editor
Recession and political crises in Italy must not detract from efforts to combat violence against women says a UN independent expert.
With current figures indicating the country is likely to stay in recession until 2013 UN special rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, said there remains an urgent need to address violence against women.
“The continuum of violence in the home is reflected in the increasing numbers of victims of femicide,” said Ms Manjoo following a 12- day fact-finding trip.
“There is an urgent need to address the underlying structural causes of inequality and discrimination,” she added.
Sources estimate domestic violence affects around 70 – 87 per cent of the female population with statistics indicating that in 2006, 101 women were killed by a partner, spouse or former partner with the figure increasing to 127 in 2010.
Ms Manjoo said that, because of the family-oriented and patriarchal structure of Italian society, domestic violence is not always perceived as a crime.
Economic dependency and perceptions that the state response to such complaints will not be appropriate or helpful also made it harder for women to come forward to report incidents.
“A fragmented legal framework and inadequate investigation, punishment and compensation for women victims of violence also contribute to the silencing and invisibility surrounding this issue,” she said.
“These statistics may not include women from the Roma, Sinti and other minority communities who face multiple forms of violence in both the private and public sectors and whose situation is often characterized by a lack of adequate housing, health, education and unemployment services and opportunities,” she added.
Ms Manjoo’s visit focused on violence against women in four areas including the home, the community, violence perpetrated or condoned by the state, and violence in the transnational context.
She held meetings in Rome, Milan, Bologna and Naples with state officials and individuals and organisations at civil society level as well as survivors of violence.
She stopped off at anti-violence shelters for women, an authorised camp for the Roma and Sinti community, prisons and detention facilities for women and children, an immigration detention centre for irregular migrants and a university.
She did, however, commend the government’s efforts to address the issue of violence against women, including a law on stalking and a national plan for the inclusion of women in the labour market.
Ms Manjoo’s mission is the first visit to Italy made by an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor violence against women.
