Tens of thousands of people have taken part in protests across Italy, calling for an end to violence against women following the murder of a university student earlier this month. Giulia Cecchettin was allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend days before she was due to graduate.
Large crowds gathered in Milan and Naples, and there was gridlock in the centre of the capital, Rome. Italy's president said the murder of women could not be tolerated. In a statement marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Sergio Mattarella said: 'Dramatic news stories have shaken the country's conscience.'
Data from the Italian interior ministry shows that 106 women have so far been killed in the country this year, 55 of them allegedly by a partner or ex-partner. The protests take place amid a backdrop of public anger and soul-searching over the murder of Ms Cecchettin, a 22-year-old biomedical engineering student who had been due to graduate from the University of Padua last week.
Ms Cecchettin's father, Gino Cecchettin, marked the day by addressing students at the University of Padua and unveiled a red bench on campus in memory of all victims of violence against women. 'Nothing will bring Giulia back, but I want many good initiatives to come out of her death,' he said.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister, has expressed outrage at the country's long history of violence against women by partners and ex-partners. She has promised a new educational campaign in schools to combat what she says is Italy's still-pervasive culture of misogynistic violence.
