They still Call You “Witch.” The Phenomenon of Gender-Based Violence: Analysis and Work Prospects

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of gender-based violence, which is defined as being directed at a woman because she is a woman. It starts from the analysis of the phenomenon conducted by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into Femicide in 2021 and concludes that the phenomenon, which culminates in the so-called “femicide,” is confirmed as an act of a man’s desire for domination and possession over a woman, beyond the woman’s potential desire for independence and the breaking of her union. It examines in particular the impact of secondary victimization, which hinders institutional interventions to support the injured parties. It therefore analyzes the tools available to combat it, recognizing that they are a necessary but insufficient means of curbing the phenomenon. What is needed are complex and integrated interventions that also involve other branches of the legal system. In the procedural sphere, the Cartabia Reform has regulated proceedings regarding domestic violence and protection orders. It is necessary to promote coordination between judicial authorities and, more generally, the institutions that deal with this phenomenon. In general, a cultural effort is needed to re-establish the dialectic between masculine and feminine interpreted in a patriarchal sense, in order to unleash and channel the energies that have been used for centuries to maintain male hegemony through the oppression and ghettoization.