Remembering Federica Torzullo
In January 2026, during a session of the Milan City Council, I remembered Federica Torzullo, a woman murdered in Italy in a case of femicide.
Federica was not a headline.
She was a professional, a mother, a woman with relationships, work, daily routines, and plans — a life interrupted by male violence.
Starting from her story matters, because behind the word “femicide” there is always a woman: not a statistic, not an abstract social problem, but a human being made invisible by numbers, headlines, and sensationalist narratives.
This is where public responsibility begins.
Who Was Federica Torzullo?
Federica Torzullo was a woman.
She was a respected professional.
She was a mother.
These facts may sound simple, but they are often erased in public discourse. Media coverage frequently reduces femicide to a crime story, shifting attention toward details that satisfy curiosity rather than accountability.
When this happens, the woman disappears — and violence becomes background noise.
Gender-Based Violence and the Power of Language
One of the most underestimated aspects of gender-based violence is language.
The way we describe violence is never neutral.
Words, framing, and narrative choices shape how societies understand responsibility, guilt, and prevention.
When reporting adopts an investigative or sensational tone — focusing on the “mystery,” private details, or irrelevant elements — attention moves away from the core issue: structural male violence against women.
This distortion has consequences.
It normalizes violence and makes it less visible, less recognizable, and therefore less preventable.
Why Responsible Language Is a Public Duty
Feminist movements have said this for decades, and it remains true today:
language builds culture, and culture shapes reality.
Preventing gender-based violence does not start only with laws or criminal sanctions. It starts with the narratives we allow, repeat, and legitimize in public space.
Avoiding the spectacularization of violence is not censorship.
It is public responsibility.
Honoring the memory of Federica Torzullo means demanding a more conscious, respectful, and accurate language — one that restores dignity to women and keeps the focus where it belongs: on violence, power, and accountability.
Institutional Responsibility: Speaking From Public Office
As Vice President of the Equal Opportunities and Civil Rights Commission and Vice President of the Special Commission against Hate Speech and Hate Phenomena of the City of Milan, I raised this issue during my official intervention in the City Council.
Institutions cannot be neutral observers.
They must actively promote a public discourse that recognizes gender-based violence for what it is — and refuses narratives that excuse, minimize, or obscure it.
Remembering victims is a political act.
Counting them is a political act.
And choosing the right words is, too.
Further Reading and Data Sources
Reliable data and responsible language guidelines are essential to understanding and preventing gender-based violence.
- Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) – Violence against Women
Official data on femicide, domestic violence and gender-based violence in Italy.
👉 https://www.istat.it/en/violence-against-women
(English version available) - Italian Order of Journalists – Guidelines on Gender-Sensitive Language
Recommendations for responsible and ethical media coverage of gender-based violence.
👉 https://www.odg.it/linee-guida-linguaggio-di-genere
(Italian, but relevant as a professional standard) - UN Women – Ending Violence Against Women
Global framework, data and policy recommendations on preventing violence against women and girls.
👉 https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women - Council of Europe – Istanbul Convention
The key international treaty on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
👉 https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention