Italy is in the grip of outrage and fury following the alleged murder of a university student by her ex-boyfriend, shedding light on the pervasive issue of violence against women in a country where, on average, one woman is killed every three days.
The victim, 22-year-old engineering student Giulia Cecchettin, was discovered dead near a lake north of Venice, wrapped in plastic with multiple stab wounds, just days before her scheduled graduation ceremony.
Her disappearance was preceded by captured footage of her former partner, 21-year-old Filippo Turetta, assaulting her in roadside cameras. Turetta was subsequently arrested in Germany after his car broke down, and a German court has approved his extradition to Italy.
Upon landing at Venice airport on Saturday morning, Turetta was to be transferred to a prison in Verona for interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation, according to Italian media.
Cecchettin’s friends asserted that her decision to end the relationship was not accepted by Turetta’s family, intensifying the shock and concern across the nation.
On Saturday, coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, widespread protests were expected across Italy to denounce Cecchettin’s killing. Numerous vigils and rallies have already taken place to honor her memory in recent days.
In a departure from the familiar narrative, Cecchettin’s older sister, Elena, challenged sympathetic media portrayals of Turetta, accusing him of controlling and possessive behavior towards her sister. Cristina Gamberi, a research fellow at the University of Bologna, noted that Giulia’s case has prompted a different response, with Elena giving voice to a new collective awareness prevalent among the younger generation in Italy. Gamberi emphasized that 106 women have been killed in Italy so far this year, underscoring the urgent need for a societal shift in attitudes towards violence against women.
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