Thousands of people took to the streets across Italy on Saturday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
At least 50,000 people were registered in Rome, and 30,000 in Milan, according to authorities and local media.
The country is in shock and still reeling from the latest episode of femicide, the killing of a 22-year-old student on Nov. 11 by her former boyfriend, who confessed after being caught by police.
She was the 106th victim of femicide in Italy up to Nov. 11 this year, according to the Interior Ministry.
Calling the latest femicide “barbaric,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promised a new awareness campaign in schools to provide emotional education to students, and a further tightening of laws against gender violence.
While common murders have fallen over the past decades, 106 femicides were recorded in 2022, some 139 in 2021, and 116 in 2020, according to official statistics.
Of the 106 victims of femicide so far this year, at least 87 were killed in a “familiar environment,” including 55 by their partner or former partner, Interior Ministry’s data showed.
