The term “femicide”Indicates any form of violence systematically exercised on women With the aim of subordinating and destroying the identity of the woman through physical or psychological subject, until death.
The femicide It represents a form of violence against women who can take multiple forms. To be able to talk about femicideit is necessary to demonstrate the causal link between crime perpetrated and the female gender of the victim, together with theintentionality to perform the crime.
According to the Eures-ANSA report (2012), more than 2000 cases of femicidewith the maximum peak in 2011, where 30% of the murders committed concerned a woman. It has been observed that almost half of the femicides They are carried out by the former partner and in most cases the crime occurs in the domestic environment (82% of cases).
In particular, the crime usually occurs in the three months following the decision – by the victim – to interrupt the report, other reasons to make the femicide They are family misunderstandings or economic difficulties. The attackers are generally male, aged between 25 and 49, and very often they are people known by the victims.
Numerous risk factors have been identified for those who commit the crime, such as possession of a firearm, a precarious economic situation, unemployment, social isolation, the abuse of substances or alcohol, the presence of an antisocial disorder or personality borderline.
Furthermore, from a psychological point of view, it has been highlighted that the style of attachment – that is, the set of behaviors that contribute to the formation of a specific link between two people – represents an essential element to understand the episodes of femicide and the level of aggression and violence present in the family unit.
In particular, in families where a “safe/safe” attachment style emerges, that is, where each member of the couple shows self -confidence and in the relationship, is the one associated with a lower level of internal aggression. Instead, the risk of violence, both physical and psychological, is greater in the case of the “insecure/insecure” attachment style.
In addition, male partners with insecure attachment style, when they feel threatened by the danger of losing the attachment figure, tend to develop growing violent behaviors.
Some risk factors have also been identified for the crime victims of femicide As, for example, the presence of a story of violent behavior by the partner, separation from a partner from whom violence have been suffered, having suffered sexual violence, having suffered physical and psychological abuses during pregnancy, stalking.
The violence perpetrated towards women – up to femicide – represent a rampant phenomenon In current society, and therefore it is necessary to promote information and awareness campaigns on these issues and how to identify early alarm and imminent danger signs.
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) published guidelines on assistance to be provided to women victims of violence. In particular, according to WHO it is necessary to provide information on the possible consequences that violence and abuses can have on the physical and mental health of women, such as sleep disorders, anxious-depressive disorders, stress-related disorders, alcohol and/or substances abuse.
Therefore, it is necessary to promote a support service that is not too intrusive for the woman, but that is able to provide information not only on the health but also legal aspects, guaranteeing the utmost discretion and confidentiality of the information provided; In addition, it may be useful to offer integrated pharmacological and psychological treatment in the most serious cases.
