Italy’s far-right Education Minister, Giuseppe Valditara, has faced backlash after making controversial remarks linking violence against women to immigration, despite official statistics disproving his claims.
Valditara, a member of the far-right League party, told parliament on Monday, November 18, that “male domination no longer exists” and suggested that the rise in sexual violence was linked to “a type of marginality and deviance” associated with illegal immigration.
His comments were made during a presentation of a charity named after Giulia Cecchettin, a woman murdered by her Italian boyfriend.
The remarks sparked outrage, with Giulia Cecchettin’s sister, Elena, pointing out that the murderer was a “young white Italian.”
Riccardo Magi, leader of the centrist Europa party, condemned Valditara’s statements, arguing that they were “contradicted by all the statistics” and accusing him of using the tragedy for racist purposes.
Giulia Cecchettin’s murder in 2023 shocked Italy and led to widespread protests against violence toward women. The killer, 22-year-old student Filippo Turetta, is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
During his speech, Valditara lamented that the focus on combating male dominance overshadowed addressing the deeper issues at play.
In response, Elena Cecchettin stated that rather than using propaganda, efforts should be made to listen and tackle the alarming rate of femicides in Italy.
Official statistics show that 83 femicides have been reported in 2024, following 96 in 2023 and 106 in 2022. National data reveals that 94% of these murders were committed by Italian men.
