Thousands rally in Italy condemning violence against women following murder of 22-year-old woman
Thousands of Italians took to the streets to condemn violence against women after a 22-year-old female student was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend earlier this month.
The case of Giulia Cecchettin grasped the attention of Italy for days after she was reported missing on Nov. 11. She disappeared after meeting her ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta, at a mall just days before she was slated to receive her degree in biomedical engineering. Her body was found on Nov. 18.
The death of the young woman sparked outrage across the country, including organizing rallies and protests calls for action to end violence against women. The Associated Press reported that 106 women have been killed in Italy so far this year, including 55 of them allegedly murdered by a partner or former partner, according to data from the Italian Interior Ministry.
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“Male violence is something that personally touched me and all of us, at every age,” Aurora Arleo, a 24-year-old student, told the Associated Press. “We have united also in the name of Giulia, because her story struck us, and I hope it will change something.”
The protests also come as Turetta, 21, was extradited from Germany on suspicion of murder. Surveillance cameras just miles from Cecchettin’s home captured the image of a man, alleged to be Turretta, chasing after Cecchettin after she sprinted from the car. The footage shows her being struck repeatedly before being bundled into the car.
Roadside surveillance cameras later captured Turetta’s car in Italy, Austria and then Germany. A German court ordered his extradition to Italy last week after German police checked in on a car that had run out of gas on the side of the highway.
The death of Cecchettin also came days after a blockbuster movie, “C’è ancora domani, was released in Italy and detailed the life of a woman who was abused by her husband. The movie was set in 1946, which the AP noted was 24 years before divorce became legal in Italy. It highlighted the patriarchal roles still embedded in Italian society, according to the AP.
The Associated Press contributed.
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