In its first thematic evaluation report on Italy, published today, the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) welcomes the significant expansion and the development of the country's legislative framework on violence against women, clearly demonstrating a commitment to the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. At the same time, the report highlights areas that require further measures to fully comply with the standards of the Convention. The report covers developments since the publication of GREVIO's baseline evaluation report on Italy on 13 January 2020 until 14 October 2025.
The positive legislative developments highlighted in today's report include: a new law on gender-based violence statistics, which aims to ensure comprehensive data collection and support evidence-based policies; reforms on criminal proceedings introducing the requirement to appoint dedicated prosecutors for offences under the scope of the Convention; and the obligation to publish national guidelines on training for all professionals in this area. Other positive legislative steps include the possibility to fast-track family law proceedings where allegations of domestic violence are made, the enhancement of the investigative powers of the judge dealing with such proceedings and the strengthening of coordination between such judges, prosecutors and other criminal justice actors.
GREVIO also commends the adoption of two subsequent national action plans on men's violence against women, anchored in a gendered perspective and offering a comprehensive set of policies, including the more recent National Action Plan on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence with its related Implementation Plan (covering 2025 - 2026).
The report also welcomes the measures taken to enhance the criminal justice response to violence against women and strengthen victims' trust in institutions. These include the launch of a new application (Youpol) facilitating the reporting of acts of violence to the police through digital means, and the newly introduced obligation to record on video interviews with vulnerable victims.
Despite the progress made, GREVIO observes that additional financial resources are needed for the implementation of criminal justice reforms that have introduced the fast-tracking of proceedings relating to violence against women. Likewise, measures are needed to simplify and expedite the disbursement of adequate funding to anti-violence centres and shelters and to harmonise criteria for their disbursement.
In light of the increase in sexual violence against girls and the growing consumption of violent pornography by children, in Italy as elsewhere, GREVIO underlines the need for preventive action adapted to the evolving capacity of learners in line with Article 14 of the Istanbul Convention. GREVIO also calls upon the authorities to ensure mandatory training on violence against women for a range of professionals, including criminal justice actors.
