ORtoday is an important day: the #dativiolenzadigenere petition, which was joined by over 25 thousand people, was delivered by a delegation of the promoters to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. There was a discussion on the timing and methods of releasing the data on femicides requested. Even in the light of one technical proposal on how this data should be published, as required by law 53/2022.
Femicides and gender violence, because we really need public data
“Commitments have been made today to improve the Ministry of the Interior’s publication, we expect to see these changes in the April quarterly report on the Crime Analysis Service website.” Donata Columbro, activist of the onData association, communicator and data expert, explains it. And among the promoters of the campaign Common Good Data (promoted by ActionAid, Infonodes, Wave And Transparency International Italy) with the DiRe network – Women on the Net against violence and Period Think Tank.
These are not ambitious requests. In the case of the data available to the Ministry of the Interior, the answer is simple – an Excel sheet is enough. And this is an obligation that Italy will have to comply with by 14 June 2027 according to Directive (EU) 2024/1385.
Unclear data means less in-depth analysis
So why don’t they publish them?
Until now, the Criminal Analysis Service of the Department of Public Security has only released quarterly reports on voluntary homicides, with a focus on cases attributable to violence against women. Unclear data that they do not allow in-depth analysis.
Making data on violence against women and gender-based violence public – complete, updated and accessible – is not a technical question, but a political choice and democratic responsibility.
Femicides, more than a new crime, we need to understand the phenomenon
For example? The available data on voluntary homicides indicate simply the relationship between victim and perpetrator, and the sex of the victim. What is missing is a breakdown on age group, geographical area, nationality but also a document with the historical series of data that allows comparisons with previous years. An overall vision is missing, the possibility of looking in depth beyond the news story is missing.
Donata Columbro reiterates this. «The available data are fragmented across different institutional sites, updated with unpredictable frequency and they cannot be downloaded in a format that can be used for analysis of any kind, even by those who work to combat violence. The new crime of femicide is not enough if we cannot understand the phenomenon and prevent it from happening.”
But then why don’t they publish them?
The answer to this question is in his book, Because counting feminicides is a political act (Feltrinelli). Only by being able to carry out in-depth analyzes can it be highlighted the collective dimension of gender violenceand the responsibility of society, which goes far beyond the victim-murderer relationship. Why not, a femicide is not a private matter.
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