A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #371 - Anti-patriarchy - Italy: A mandatory "no" for rape victims? (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

In Italy, Giorgia Meloni's far-right government is advancing a 
comprehensive reactionary agenda aimed at silencing political 
opposition. As is always the case when the far right is in power, it is 
targeting women's rights, in this instance through the Bongiorno bill. 
---- At the end of 2025, members of parliament propose introducing the 
concept of "free and effective consent" into law, in accordance with the 
Istanbul Convention, which Italy has signed. However, League senator 
Giulia Bongiorno is proposing an alternative wording of the text, 
supported by the government, which imposes a major setback in the legal 
definition of rape. The concept of consent disappears, replaced by 
"opposing intent." In other words: it would now be up to the 
complainants to prove that they refused the violence inflicted upon 
them, which can only exacerbate the violence that the trial already 
represents for them.

In a country where it wasn't until 1996 that rape was recognized as a 
crime against the person and not merely against morality, the far right 
intends to roll back the rights won by Italian women. The two sets of 
security laws enacted in November 2025 and February 2026 expand police 
powers and create new offenses, primarily targeting political 
opposition, prisoners, and immigrants[1], but also social centers, which 
are subjected to a series of police raids. The project to reinforce the 
patriarchal moral order and the rollbacks of women's rights are part of 
this logic of war against enemies, both internal and external.

The Italian social movement is not remaining passive in the face of 
these attacks. The Bongiorno bill immediately faced widespread 
opposition and was a major theme of the March 8th demonstrations 
throughout the country. The social balance of power has been 
significantly impacted by the mass movement in solidarity with the 
Palestinian people, which culminated in the general strike of September 
22 and 23. The resounding victory of the "no" vote in the referendum on 
judicial reform on March 22 and 23 also represented a major setback for 
the government.

Despite the repression, this shift in power has forced the government 
into a series of concessions. The suspension of the defense agreement 
with Israel on April 14 was a spectacular victory, as it marked a 
complete break with the unconditional support Italy had previously shown 
for Israel. What is the status of the Bongiorno bill in this context? At 
the time of writing, it is being negotiated between the various 
parliamentary groups to find a compromise position-but the opposition 
has already announced that it will reject any bill that does not include 
the concept of consent.

For the moment, the legislative process is therefore stalled. But this 
is not a victory either. Faced with the far right, a feminist response 
is essential to definitively consign its stale projects to oblivion.

Danielle (UCL Lyon)

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[1]Anna Capretta, "Italy: Identifying and Repressing Enemies Within," 
Contretemps, April 9, 2026.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Italie-un-non-obligatoire-pour-les-victimes-de-viol
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