Thousands protest in Italy against sexual violence bill over consent definition
Feminist groups and anti-violence centers across Italy demonstrated against the Bongiorno bill, objecting to a shift from "absence of consent" to "proof of dissent" in rape law.
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Thousands of people demonstrated across Italian cities on Sunday to oppose a proposed sexual violence law, marking the 30th anniversary of a 1996 law that classified rape as a crime against the person rather than morality.
Protests took place in Rome at Piazza Santissimi Apostoli, Milan at Piazza Fontana, and in cities including Trieste, Monza, Naples, and Bari. Anti-violence centers and feminist and transfeminist organizations organized the demonstrations to contest the Bongiorno bill, a legislative proposal by League senator Giulia Bongiorno currently in the Senate Justice Commission.
The bill's definition of rape has become the focal point of contention. The version initially approved by the Chamber of Deputies, supported by a bipartisan agreement, defined rape as an act committed "without free and actual consent." The Senate commission subsequently modified this language at the League's insistence, replacing it with the phrase "against the will of the person."
Protesters argue this change fundamentally alters the legal framework. The modification eliminates the expression "absence of free and actual consent" and substitutes it with a reference to "contrary will." Under the revised proposal, evidence of contrary will to the sexual act must be demonstrated and evaluated in relation to context and situation, shifting the burden from proving absence of consent to proving active dissent.
Simona Ammerata of D.i.Re, a network of anti-violence centers, stated that substituting the word consent with dissent places women's bodies at disposal until proven otherwise. Organizers characterized the change as a significant departure from the original parliamentary intention, noting that the League's intervention has substantially altered the bill's substance.
The demonstrations were deliberately scheduled for February 15 to coincide with the anniversary of the 1996 law, which came after sustained campaigns by feminist activists both inside and outside Parliament. Organizers announced a new national demonstration in Rome scheduled for February 28.