The most recent report of the Italian Ministry of the Interior reveals that between January 2023 and July 2024, 499 homicides were committed in Italy. The number of homicides has recorded a decreasing trend since 2011. Overall, about 2.3 million criminal acts were reported in Italy in 2023. Femicide Femicide, a homicide in which a woman is killed for gender-based reasons, poses a serious problem around the world. In 2018, roughly one in six Italians believed that femicide was on the rise. Women, victims of homicide, are often related to the culprit; in 2022, 74 women in Italy were killed by their partner. Crime in Italy In 2023, the most common crime in Italy was theft. Law enforcement corps reported one million cases of this delinquency to the juridical authority, with the highest theft rate in the Metropolitan city of Milan.

In 2023, 117 women in Italy were victims of homicide, with a decreasing trend line since 2002. In 2003, the peak of 192 homicides of females was reached. Among the ones murdered in 2023, 48 women were killed by a partner, 15 by an ex-partner, and 31 by a relative.

In 2023, 117 women were killed in Italy., nine less compared to 2022. Specifically, more than half of the homicides were committed either by the partner or by the ex-partner of the victim, whereas in 27 percent of the cases, the killer was a relative of the victim.

This statistic shows the number of murder cases committed by the Mafia in Italy from the firstsemester of 2015 to the second semester of 2017, by organization type. According to the study results, the Campanian Mafia committed the most killings over the selected period, and was responsible for 28 murder cases in the second half of 2017.

This statistic illustrates the annual number of male victims of homicide in Italy in from 2010 to 2017. According to the data, the highest number of male victims was registered in 2011 (381 victims per 100,000 inhabitants of the same gender). As of 2017, the number of murders was the lowest during the concerned period, with 234 cases of man murdered in Italy.

Between 1983 and 2017, the share of homicides related to mafia in Italy decreased. In fact, in the years between 1988 and 1992, 33.1 percent of all homicides in Italy were committed by mafia organizations. From 2013 to 2017, the share of homicides linked to mafia was equal to 9.1 percent of all cases.

In the last years, the number of reported mafia associations also experienced a decrease. In particular, in 2005, there were 153 organizations in Italy which were classified as mafia crime groups. In 2018, 93 mafia associations were known in Italy.

In 2023, the metropolitan city of Milan ranked first in terms of crime rate, as it recorded 7,100 felonies per 100,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, the provinces of Rome and Florence followed with around 6,000 cases reported. In Milan, burglaries in shops and thefts were much more common than in any other Italian provinces. Frequent car thefts The Southern province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in the region of Apulia, was the place in Italy with the highest rate of stolen cars. Roughly 697 cases per every 100,000 residents were registered in 2019. Catania had the second-largest rate with about 656 reports. Nationwide, the three most frequently stolen car models belonged to Fiat, the leading Italian vehicle manufacturer. Moreover, a Lancia car model ranked fourth. This company was also part of the Fiat Group, which, however, only sells vehicles in Italy. Mafia associations  In the last years, the number of mafia associations in Italy experienced a decline. However, there are still dozens of mafia-type organizations in the country. The Southern region of Campania was the place faced with the largest amount of crime associations. In total, 67 of such crimes were reported in Campania in 2019.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is increasingly recognized as a critical global public health issue (WHO, 2021). According to UN Women (2020), GBV refers to any harm inflicted on an individual or group due to their actual or perceived sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity (Council of Europe, 2011). This broad definition encompasses various forms of violence—non-verbal, verbal, sexual, physical, economic, and psychological—impacting women, men, and the LGBTQIA+ community. The consequences of GBV are devastating and can result in long-term physical, mental, and emotional health problems, educational setbacks, job difficulties, or even death (Hazel, Kleyman, 2020; Riger et al., 2000). While both men and women may experience GBV, the majority of its burden falls on women and girls. Indeed, men and boys can be victims of GBV and so too can those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) (Carlton et al., 2016). However, it is widely acknowledged that most people affected by GBV are women and girls (Council of Europe, 2011). Thus, this highlights that violence against women is a significant part of the broader issue of GBV (Bloom, 2008). Italy is not exempt from the challenges posed by GBV. Violence against women and girls remains a long-standing issue that shows little sign of abating (Amnesty International Italia, 2021a; 2021b; EIGE, 2021a; 2021b; Istat, 2021; Eures, 2021). In recent years, Italians witnessed many high-profile cases of gender violence and femicides that attracted public attention. The forms of violence, however, are diverse, and traditional metrics of abuse have evolved due to the rise of the Internet and social media, which have created new vectors for violence against women (Amnesty International Italia, 2020; 2021b). Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s rights NGOs reported a significant increase in domestic violence, with national helplines experiencing a surge in calls—from approximately 13,400 in 2019 to over 23,000 in 2020 (Amnesty International, 2021b). In recent years, violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals has also garnered significant attention, highlighted by ongoing public discussions regarding homotransphobia and related legislation. The latest statistics from ISTAT indicate that, in 2014, 1 in 3 women aged 16-70 (31.5%) have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. Specifically, 20.2% have suffered physical violence, 21% sexual violence, and 5.4% the most severe forms (e.g., rape and attempted rape). Data also reveals that the most severe forms of violence are often perpetrated by partners, relatives, or friends. As of October 24, 2024, the Ministero dell’Interno documented 249 recorded homicides in Italy since January 1, with 89 female victims. Of these women, 77 were killed in family or intimate contexts, and 48 were murdered by their partner or ex-partner. Compared to the same period in 2023, there has been a 12% decrease in overall homicides (from 282 to 249) and a 15% decrease in female victims (from 100 to 89). In response, the Italian government has adopted several proactive legal measures aimed at combating violence against women and girls (VAWG) and supporting victims. This rise suggests that awareness efforts, particularly through traditional media and the Internet, are becoming more effective. Furthermore, media narratives have played a crucial role in shaping societal attitudes towards GBV. According to Capecchi and Gius (2023), discussions have shifted from framing violence as isolated acts of brutality—often attributed to psychologically unstable individuals—to a more nuanced, gender-aware framework that recognizes social disparities in power. High-profile cases have ignited public outrage and drawn attention to the severity of GBV. It is in such context that this article explores the perception and acceptance of GBV in Italy. More specifically, the study explores the perception of GBV, extending the definition of violence to include both men and women while examining less commonly discussed and more subtle forms of violence. While previous research has primarily focused on physical and psychological violence, this study expands the scope to include 'grey zone' areas such as subtle non-verbal, verbal, and physical acts. The study argues that the acceptance of subtle acts is the first steps leading to wider normalization of violence. The study thus seeks to: 1. Examine the perceived normality and acceptance of violence 2. Study the role of the gender in the assessment of violence 3. Analyze the how the nature of the relationships between people and the social context where they are embedded influence the perceived normality and acceptance of violence and moderate the role of gender for the assessment. 4. Investigate the willingness to intervene against violence 5. Assess whether the perceived normality and the willingness to intervene varies according to respondents' gender and their previous experiences or related incidents of violence. The study uniquely examines various forms of GBV (non-verbal, verbal, physical) and the dynamics involved (e.g., the gender of the victim and offender, and their relationship), potentially expanding the discourse beyond the traditional focus on physical and psychological violence in male-offender and female-victim scenarios. Also, it tests the acceptance of violence on both men and women in Italy. This is particularly relevant in understanding male intervention, aligning with the growing recognition that men can serve as bystanders and advocates for gender transformation (Flood, 2018; Bolton et al., 2024). The study relies on a factorial survey (vignette) experiment that is administrated in the fall 2024 in Italy by Dynata.

(This study is part of a broader project titled "Inequality between reality and perception: socio-economic status, gender and immigration in Italy (IneqPer)" which is funded by the Italian competitive grant PRIN-PNRR 2022 (P2022TWZN3).)

In Europe, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Lithuania had the highest and third highest homicide rates respectively in 2022. Latvia had the highest rate at over four per 100,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the lowest homicide rate was found in Liechtenstein, with zero murders The most dangerous country worldwide Saint Kitts and Nevis is the world's most dangerous country to live in in terms of murder rate. The Caribbean country had a homicide rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nine of the 10 countries with the highest murder rates worldwide are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Whereas Celaya in Mexico was listed as the city with the highest murder rate worldwide, Colima in Mexico was the city with the highest homicide rate in Latin America, so the numbers vary from source to source. Nevertheless, several Mexican cities rank among the deadliest in the world when it comes to intentional homicides. Violent conflicts worldwide Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in countries such as Ukraine or the DR Congo. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly.

In 2021, there were over 200 hate crimes against people with disabilities in Italy. The most common types of hate crimes motivated by bias against people with disabilities were physical assault, theft, and robbery. That year, there was also a case of homicide.

In 2022, an estimated *** femicides were reported across European countries. Femicide, which refers to the gender-related killing of women and girls, represents the most extreme cases of violence against women. In this year there were estimated to have been *** femicides in Italy, *** in France, *** in Germany and ** in Spain.

The United States had, by far, the highest homicide rate of the G7 countries between 2000 and 2023. In 2023, it reached 5.76 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease from 6.78 in 2021. By comparison, Canada, the G7 nation with the second-highest homicide rate, had 1.98 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. Out of each G7 nation, Japan had the lowest rate with 0.23 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

Between 2018 and 2023, the crime rate in the metropolitan city of Milan stabilized around 7,000 reported felonies per 100,000 inhabitants. The index had a marked decrease during the COVID-19 outbreak due to the restrictive measures enacted to limit the expansion of the disease. After the pandemic, the rate surged to pre-COVID-19 levels. This trend is consistent with the total number of crimes reported by the police forces in the municipality of Milan. In fact, recorded felonies had a significant drop in 2020, but after three years they increased up to the 2018 level. The metropolitan city of Milan was the Italian administrative unit with the highest criminal rate compared to other provinces, confirmed by the index being constantly above the national average, 3,969.2 felonies per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.