Femicide - Italy bids farewell to slain student
Italy has held a huge funeral service to bid farewell to a 22-year-old student who was killed by her ex-boyfriend. On Tuesday, 1,200 people attended a service in the northern Italian city of Padua, where the coffin was laid out in the Basilica of Santa Giustina. In addition, more than 10,000 people watched the event on large screens outside the church. The funeral service was broadcast live on state television. President Sergio Mattarella also remembered the young woman in a speech.
The death of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin has dominated the headlines in Italy for many days. The student was killed last month by her 21-year-old ex-boyfriend. The two had been in contact even after the break-up. The body was only discovered after days of searching in a ravine. The ex-boyfriend fled to Germany via Austria, where he was arrested a week later near Leipzig on the A9 highway. He confessed immediately. He is now in prison in Italy.
The case has long since developed into a fundamental debate in Italy about violence against women. Tens of thousands took to the streets in various cities to protest against so-called femicides. There were minutes of silence at schools. In many places, however, demonstrators also made noise with bunches of keys. Femicide means that women are killed because of their gender. In many cases, the perpetrators are partners or former partners. There have been dozens of such cases in Italy this year.
The father, Gino Cecchettin, also spoke at the funeral service in Padua. He said of his daughter: "She was an extraordinary young woman. She was cheerful and lively, a fighter. Let's find the strength to transform this tragedy so that something changes." The funeral was planned for the afternoon surrounded by family and friends.
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The tragic event has also sparked discussions in neighboring countries, with Saxony, a state in Germany, expressing solidarity and condemning criminality against women. A large number of women in Italy have been expressing their grief and anger on social media platforms, using the hashtag #IamGiulia. The funeral service was not only attended by Italians but also drew sympathy from women in Padua, Italy, and even women in Saxony, Germany, who watched the live broadcast on their televisions. President Sergio Mattarella's speech during the service echoed the sentiments of many, calling for stricter laws and policies to combat femicide and protect women's rights. Despite the mourning, the spirit of Giulia Cecchettin lived on, with her friends and family remembering her as a fun-loving and courageous woman who will forever be remembered as a symbol of hope and strength in the fight against gender-based violence.
Source: www.stern.de
